


Deus Ex Machinations: A Study into the Absurdity of Saiyan Adolescence

by mooshkabunny



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adventure, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Dragon Ball AU, Dragon Ball Z - Freeform, F/M, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Multi, Saiyans, Swearing, Teen Angst, but i'm fairly certain this is everything, but nothing too intense, i will update with more tags as i think of them, its all a set up for that basically, saiyans are eventually coming back, with regards to what vegeta and raditz had to go through with frieza
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-01
Updated: 2019-06-23
Packaged: 2020-04-05 07:19:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 60,817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19043797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mooshkabunny/pseuds/mooshkabunny
Summary: Abstract: In the course of tampering with time and alternate realities, one finds that character growth can be made to happen earlier in the timeline of certain, stubborn Saiyans. An investigation by Whis.Or: Whis and Beerus are known to play around with alternate realities for their own amusement. Here is one such reality.





	1. Prologue: An Experiment is Put Into Place

**Author's Note:**

> I have recently gotten into these series and I wanted to prove to myself that I could finish something, so that I could go on to finish my own personal projects. Notes ahead of time: there’ll be swearing and canon typical violence, but other than that is very much a Rated G for everyone sorta deal. They’re kids, and act like kids and have crushes, but more than that is not something I’m about to write, and I just wanted to write a cute adventure with more Saiyans, cause Saiyans are goofy and my favorite, and Dragonball was way cute of a show.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Whis and Beerus decide to mess around with timelines and lives. You know. Like they do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Prologue and Chapter One really should be one chapter, but it felt like it was going on too long, so I'm posting them together, but as intended, two separate chapters. D: This isn't my first fan fic, but it is the first long form one I've ever finished, and the first one I've posted here (most of my others are one shots on Tumblr). Thanks for taking a look! :)

In a distant universe, two Saiyans have managed to capture the curiosity of the Gods themselves. The Gods have trained them, eaten with them, and despite themselves, befriended them. Their friends and family as well have captured the attentions of these gods, and become integral to their day to day—not much can become a day to day curiosity for a god. And gods do not quite have the appropriate relationship to friendship that one would hope for either.

As their curiosity has been gripped by this group of Saiyans and friends, the gods have made it a bit of a game to play with those same lives in alternate realities. Putting the soul of some lost student into the life of Yamcha. Testing the waters with pure Saiyan Kakarot rather than the human raised Goku. Teasing out relationships between other cast members, to see how differently the tides would turn if long lost friends like Suno or Upa married into the odd little family of Z fighters rather than androids or ox princesses. Countless variations amuse the Gods as they wait for their real friends to make the delightful chaos they are wont to make, that requires the steady hand of Godhood to make right. 

This is the story of one such variation, one trip into an alternate timeline of events, where things get started a bit quicker, so impatient destructive deities may get to the good stuff faster. Despite his hopes, that may or may not be the case. Time is its own master, and nothing is as fickle as the hearts of the adolescent. 

But even so, we find ourselves in a familiar place, with a familiar sight. A small, spherical pod orbits earth, falling dizzyingly fast to its surface. Inside are two lost Saiyan boys, in the regalia of the Frieza Force, desperate for escape, and itching for action. They are far ahead of schedule for finding this planet, but a small nudge in the right direction has given them an idea, that could change the course of their stories forever…

 

There wasn’t a lot of logic in chasing after Raditz’s long lost brother on some middle of nowhere planet at the edge of the galaxy, but if the two young Saiyans were honest with themselves, it wasn’t so much logic, or brotherly companionship, or even sense that drove them to stray from their given tasks and command.

They just wanted to go.

There, of course, was the ever present fear of retribution should Frieza ever find out, but Nappa would vouch for them, and they had the cover of finding Kakarot. It would be swift, painless, and easy to just have a few moments of freedom away from the ongoing humiliation of having to survive Frieza’s army. A typical teenage response to anything, but especially a typical Saiyan teenage response.

They landed as covertly as possible, and came up with (a rather childish scheme if you ask me) a plan to record messages ahead of time on their scouters, so that none would be the wiser if they were to simply just… leave them behind in the ship. The planet, from their calculations, had no notable dangers that would require them, and if they found Kakarot while exploring, then fine. If not, they had had a moment where they were not at Frieza’s beck and call, where they could spar, complain, and scheme to their heart's content. As the younger surviving Saiyans, both Raditz and the Saiyan Prince, Vegeta, itched every night for a chance to claim independence from Frieza, to dole out the ache in their souls for their home planet on his putrid purple head, but Nappa told them to keep it inside, to hold onto that rage and use it to survive. But surviving was a pain. So when they could, the two teenagers tried to find moments to…

Well.  
Bitch.

Their ship had landed on the shore of a distant lake, not too far a walk from a dense, cacophonous jungle--the perfect place to get lost for awhile, and spar. Upon entering, Raditz had turned to remark upon the interesting wildlife mildly, when he was shot square in the chest with a burst of energy. 

Vegeta sneered. “That’s what you get for turning your back on your Prince!”

“That’s not--ugh!” Raditz growled, doubled over in pain. It hadn’t been too hard a hit, but still, the little Prince packed a punch, despite being a year younger. Raditz took to the air, disappearing into the deep green of the foliage around them. 

“Running already?” Vegeta called after, chasing him deep into the thicket, and Raditz simply kept flying, deeper and deeper. 

“I don’t run from anything!” he snarled. 

“Except Frieza!” Vegeta taunted. _Same to you_ , Raditz thought sullenly. But that didn’t serve anybody. It was just the truth, and the Prince got pissy if it was turned around on him. 

Vegeta was in Raditz’s sights now, hopping from branch to branch, searching, while Raditz lay in wait, charging his attack. Once perfectly aligned, he sent a blast of energy, just enough to singe the Prince’s hair. Vegeta howled, and launched himself at Raditz’s hiding space. The two tumbled from the tree, wrestling, laughing, and punching with all their might. 

It was how Saiyan children ought to have been, long ago, sparring in the messes while their superior officers cheered on. In these battles, they could learn and grow to be better warriors, and better friends, competing with one another for the right to be The Best. An odd preoccupation of their species, but one that filled the two boys with a sense they did not get to feel as often as boys their age should: they felt light, carefree, the struggle of one arm over the other, where to place the next kick, and should I spit in my friends eye yes I probably should, the only thoughts in their heads for what felt like blissful hours. Soon, the fear and humiliation of Frieza’s wrath would return, like a shadow, always behind them. But for now, this was the closest to peace they could get to, and they would enjoy it.

Later, camp prepped for the night, deep in the jungle, and a few wild feline creatures roasting happily on the fire, the two passed the time in that quintessential philosophical way only found in youth--when all questions are big, and demand the fullest of attention and authority. Few children find themselves asking the questions these two did though, as two of the last of their kind. 

These questions, of course, mostly centered on precisely how they would obliterate Frieza if given the chance. 

“Well, I was thinking, if I had the shot, and the power, I’d corner him in one of the hallways, kill his guards, quick shot to each of them, and then just, jump into that horrible little chair of his, tear him out, tear off his legs… Does Frieza have legs?”

“Of course he does, you idiot, you’ve seen them,” Vegeta snapped, chewing thoughtfully while staring out into the stars. 

“Aaaa, of course, well, not when I’m through with him,” he tried to recover with a joke--it earned him a snort, which was usually all Raditz got out of Vegeta, so he considered it a win. “I’d rip them off with my bare hands, rip off his arms, and have him beg for mercy before I blast him in the brains!”

“Pretty good, pretty good,” Vegeta said, yawning slightly. “I’d want to do it in the throne room. Let everyone see, just how much stronger I’d become, as I bested him in glorious single combat.”

“Better to not do a sneak attack then,” Raditz said, blushing slightly. A sneak attack perhaps was the better idea strategically, but it was not the Saiyan way, a common obsession between the last three of them. Nappa tried to steal it out of them--survival of course, was primarily important, and their pride would only get them killed, he would warn. But that never settled well with Vegeta. He doubted it ever would. 

But Vegeta was uncharacteristically quiet--usually a full theological treatise on the nature of Saiyan Pride and how he would use it to upend Frieza’s reign was what came next in this game of theirs, but instead… Raditz heard it too as he turned, sitting up more straightly.  
Whatever it was, it was likely not anything they couldn’t handle, so Vegeta snarled, hopped up and shouted out into the darkness of the forest, “Show yourself, coward!”

A small humanoid poked its head out from the nearby bushes. It took a moment, but Raditz balked. “Kakarot?” he shouted, standing. Vegeta glanced his way, shooting Raditz a surprised look. He had no intention of actually finding his brother. He figured the boy was dead! He wasn’t really sure what to feel, but his heart rammed itself into his chest just the same.

The boy frowned, “My name is Goku.” But there was no mistaking it. The boy stepped out from the bushes, tailed and every bit a Saiyan, despite his small stature--he should have been taller by now. He looked just like Raditz’s father, more than Raditz ever did. The thought almost hurt, but just to have this, this confirmation that there was not only three Saiyans left. Raditz was reeling. He almost felt like throwing up, so much was racing through his heart and mind at once.

The boy walked over cautiously, sniffing at their meal. Vegeta was on guard, but Raditz just watched, completely unsure of what to do. “This smells good. Can I have some? Oh! And my friends too. We got a little lost in the jungle!”

Vegeta shot Raditz a look. Friends couldn’t be good. No danger, just simply an inconvenience, and potentially, a mess on their hands. He groaned. _I suppose the mission always must come first._ “Listen, kid. Do you know who you are?”

“Goku,” the boy said blankly. 

“No, no, who you really are,” this was desperate. _Had he hit his head or something?_ “What you were sent here to do!”

“My name is Goku and I was sent to see what this delicious smell was.” He frowned deeply, glancing between the two of them. “Have you guys not been listening?”

“Idiot,” Vegeta growled. “Just grab him. This is getting annoying.”

“What?” it was odd, Raditz and his brother speaking at the same time, having never known one another. They glanced at one another, trying to size each other up. It was no use trying to get through to him. Somehow mirrored, they both took a fighting stance. 

“Look, Kakarot, there’s too much to explain, but you have to come with us.”

“My name is not Carrot! It’s Goku and I don’t have to go anywhere!”

The boy pounced, grabbing a pole from behind his back, twirling it into position, but before he could even meet with Raditz, Vegeta grabbed his tail from the air, and held him aloft. Instantly, Kakarot settled, his face going pale, and his eyes dimming with the strain. He must really had not been trained properly at all if he left himself so vulnerable to that attack. 

Vegeta handed him over to Raditz, scowling, “Something must have malfunctioned on his ship or another. If this really is Kakarot, this planet should have been taken over ages ago. Pity.” The Prince had the decency to look to the ground before quietly saying, “I’m sorry that we found him this way, Raditz.”

Raditz wasn’t quite sure what to make of any of it. The worst of all of his feelings just was that he should have been excited to find his brother, another Saiyan, but the only thing he could focus on was the end of their vacation. His gut felt like it had fallen like a stone to the bottom of his feet. He didn’t say much, just nodded, and prepared to take Kakarot out to ship. 

“Stop right there--EEEP,” Vegeta had shot a blast out into the bushes that Kakarot had come from. There, under the burning spot that had once been the majority of a tree, crouched another humanoid, staring bug eyed at where they surely would have met their end. Undeterred, the humanoid stood, blue hair and eyes flaring, and pointed at them accusingly, “Leave Goku alone, you big bullies!” 

Several pairs of eyes peeked out from the hole Vegeta had created, all staring in fear. None of them seemed strong enough to worry about. Raditz was prepared to just keep walking, but stopped dead in his tracks when the blue haired creature stomped right over to him, and slapped him on the arm. The two Saiyan boys froze, looked at one another, and burst out laughing.

“Hey, this isn’t funny! Give us our friend back!” 

“Bulma! Bulma, this is not safe! Those guys are wicked strong!” one of the eyes from the tree hole poked his head out, shout-whispering desperately. 

Vegeta stalked up to this Bulma, and shoved the humanoid female as gently as he could, causing her to trip over her feet and fall over. “Listen to your friend, Earthling. You’re no match for us!”

While there was definitely the appropriate amount of fear in the girl’s face, there was none in her actions. Bulma’s face contorted in rage, as she scrambled to her feet, and immediately pushed Vegeta back.

Raditz could not think of what to do. Vegeta did not move, nor was he harmed, so there was nothing really to protect his Prince from. But technically this was a shocking move all the same, dripping with disrespect. And yet, all he could do was hold his brother’s tail and gape at what was happening before him. Plus, he was trying hopelessly not to laugh. Gaping was, all in all, the safer option.

It seemed Bulma’s friends felt the same, shrieking and rushing out from behind the tree. The tallest one, a male humanoid with dark hair about as long as Raditz’s reached for Bulma, trying to hold her back, but failed, as she wrenched her arms free, and continued to push the Prince. 

“Listen here, Short Stuff! I don’t care who you are, or what you’re here for, or how strong you are, Goku is my friend, this is his home, and you are not just taking him!” 

_Short Stuff._ Raditz almost pitied her, the fear and laughter growing in his own stomach magnifying, a terrible combination. He had to say something and fast, but he’d never really been in this situation before. “You can’t just… Say that! We’ll kill you!” It was, above all, not the coolest way to have said that. Especially, with the balking snort that preceded it.

Bulma glared at him, and turned her attack on him. Unthinking, he used Kakarot to block her path, “Oh yeah? That’s a lot of tough talk from a couple of weirdo teens in the woods! What are you, 16?”

“17,” Raditz grumbled, but Vegeta picked up the slack.

“Insolent girl! I am the Prince of All Saiyans, the mightiest of warrior races in the galaxy! You are nothing but a. A. An insect to me, and I will vaporize your entire planet in an instant as I leave with my prize!”

His Prince was not one to pass up the opportunity to show off. And his pride was injured. Vegeta was at a dangerous level of fury, his energy spiking off of him in electric waves, sparking and igniting the air around them in blazes, singing even his skin. He tried his best not to flinch, but the Earthlings around them ducked and dove away from the sparks. Even the girl dropped to the ground, cowering properly this time. His own laughter was forgotten in the face of the growing tantrum--as ridiculous as this all was, he knew the prince was a might all his own.

She raised her hands in surrender, and shrieked as loud as she could with almost as much ferocity as the energy coming off Vegeta, “Okay, okay, okay, okay, you’re obviously scary, please, please, PLEASE, JUST STOP AND LISTEN--.” 

Vegeta grimaced, quieting his energy, but only a little. The girl produced two items from her pocket and held them out: a circular radar of some sort, and an orange sphere with four stars inside. Panicky and frantic, she shook them at the two Saiyan boys, “Look, look, okay! You’re a Prince, whatever! I bet you have everything you’ve ever wanted! But if you don’t, there’s these things called Dragonballs here. They grant a wish, any wish you want, and we’re gathering them up. I have the only dragon radar out there to find them—you can have the wish just… Just give us Goku back, okay? Don’t hurt him! Please!”

“A-and don’t destroy the earth!” chirped a small bald boy behind the girl, “Please!”

 _Dragonballs?_ Raditz looked to his Prince and shrugged. He was skeptical. It sounded like half the pleas they’d heard taking over worlds for Frieza. The weak always tried their hardest to evade death with trickery.

“It’s true,” Kakarot whispered from Raditz’s grasp. He seemed to be just shy of unconsciousness. Raditz almost felt bad.

Vegeta watched the girl carefully, looking from her as she slowly rose back to her feet, and to the ball in her hands. Holding his head high, much in the way King Vegeta once had, he let his words drop from his mouth, as if the very act of his consideration was a mercy, “And what’s to stop me from simply killing all of you, destroying your world, and taking the Dragonballs from the rubble?” The tenor of his voice was not quite at the level of the King’s, but his words still shook the humanoids around them. 

“If the world’s destroyed, so are the Dragonballs,” the boy with long dark hair said, looking to Bulma for something—confirmation?—and she nodded. If Raditz had to guess, these children knew probably very little about these items themselves. And yet, they had courage. It took a lot of guts to face them. He had to give them that.

It seemed that Vegeta did too. He leaned in close to the girl, and she had a couple inches on him at that angle. Raditz tried not to notice, but couldn’t help but see her smirking back her laughter. “Explain.” 

She smiled at that. Speaking as fast as a computer, she told them how the seven Dragonballs, once collected, with the right words, summoned a great dragon, who granted the lucky adventurer one wish. Then the balls dispersed for a year, to start the process all over again. Seemingly, there was no limit to the wishes. Only that simple rule. Raditz still wasn’t sure to the proof of it, but Vegeta listened intently, nodding along without any worry of losing track due to Bulma’s speed. Once she was done speaking, he nodded at Raditz, asking the others for a moment to speak alone.

So the strange humanoids huddled together in their own sort of meeting, while Raditz and Vegeta (as well as the captured Kakarot) did the same on the other side of the fire. 

“They could be lying. It wouldn’t be the first time,” Raditz said, but even as he did, he glanced at the still drowsy Kakarot in his hand. The boy had said it was true, but he wasn’t much of a Saiyan anymore. There wasn’t much reason to trust him, and yet…

“But what if they aren’t, Raditz. Think about what we could do with a wish that powerful,” Vegeta’s voice was low and his foot tapped rapidly, a habit that Nappa was trying to train out of him. Young Saiyans often had too much excessive energy, and Vegeta seemed to have excesses on top of excesses, especially when he was thinking. 

“We could wish Planet Vegeta back,” Raditz said quietly. How much different would life be with all the Saiyans returned to the galaxy. With his mother and father and now his brother reunited and fighting side by side. It was too good to really even take seriously—if it were possible. His throat tightened just thinking of it.

Vegeta didn’t seem to have the same problem. “We could wish for immortality and defeat Frieza once and for all!” Raditz must have given him a look, as Vegeta quickly added, “We’d have to defeat him first. If we just brought Planet Vegeta back, he’d destroy it again. Kill him, we can just come back here in a year and wish them back again. It’s simple! Too easy even!”

“But how long will this take, Vegeta? We don’t really have the luxury of just disappearing.”

The Prince opened his mouth to speak, and then closed it again, deep in thought. “Well, with three Saiyans on the task, it shouldn’t take that long,” he grumbled.

“But we’d have to check in! We can’t scramble our scouters forever!”

Little Kakarot shifted in Raditz’s hand, gently grabbing at the air towards the humans, “Bulma… she… she…” 

They would have paid him no mind if the blue haired creature hadn’t heard him. Raditz grumbled as she came closer, and Vegeta went stiff as a board.

“Do you mind? We’re having a private conversation!” Vegeta snapped, but Bulma went straight for Kakarot.

“Hey, we’re almost on the verge of working together now. Do you think you could please let Goku go? That hurts him a lot,” she knelt before Raditz and Kakarot, looking tenderly at the boy. 

“We know,” Raditz said, feeling rather stupid for having said so. “It’s a Saiyan thing.”

She glanced at Raditz reproachfully. “If you really are his brother and you know all that, then that’s a pretty crappy thing to do, isn’t it?”

He let go. He didn’t even think, and when he heard Vegeta sputter across from him, he figured it was the wrong call, but Bulma was right. It was technically crappy to harm one's new allies. If that’s where they were at now. Kakarot landed in Raditz’s lap, coming to quickly. He looked up at his brother, and smiled, of all things. “Thank you! Are you really my brother?”

“Uh… yeah. Raditz.”

“Raditz. That’s a funny name. And what did you say we were?”

“Saiyan.”

“Saiyan. Got it,” the boy seemed pleased and Bulma smiled right along with him. When Kakarot looked up at her, he bounced, remembering, “Oh! But you needed help with some technology, right? Bulma can help! She talks a lot and is really loud, but she’s very smart!”

“Goku!” She hissed, her face going flush. 

“I doubt she’s capable of scrambling an intergalactic signal and keeping our coordinates secret from one of the fiercest armies in the galaxy,” Vegeta drawled, somehow bored, but also on the verge of laughing. If Raditz hadn’t known any better, he’d say the laughter was winning out.

“Lemme see!” The girl whipped around at Vegeta to growl specifically at him. He’d almost be worried about her, but Vegeta seemed much more amused than anything. 

The groups reconvened, heading over to the boys’ ship, where they had stashed their scouters. Vegeta and Bulma led the way, scowling and grumbling at one another the whole time. When they arrived at the ship, all the humans seemed fascinated.

It was a little larger than the single pod class, made for one of the bigger members of the Frieza Force. As Vegeta and Raditz were still growing, it was found that they could easily man one pod instead of two. Frieza did not like to waste resources, especially on the Saiyans. The humans circled round it like it was a dying star, frightful to even get near it. Raditz opened the hatch, and fished out the scouters for Bulma, and she took them eagerly, her face still fearful, but also full of a calculating wonder.

“Seems a bit more advanced than your race is capable of,” Vegeta hummed at her, but she smiled.

“It’ll take a little tinkering, but I think I can work this out easily. In the meantime, until we can effectively scramble them,” she pulled out some small, cylindrical pill and held it aloft. “Do you guys mind if I pack this stuff away for you?”

“What?” Vegeta and Raditz both said, and she smirked, tossing the pill into the air. It landed on the ship with a poof, and suddenly the ship was gone. 

“What?!” They repeated themselves, rushing to where the ship had once been. When she joined them, their scouters similarly had been replaced by a pill, and she leaned down and grabbed up the first from the surface of the lake.

“Dinocaps. They’re good for everything,” she shrugged.

She turned on her heel, facing them head on now. “So? What’s it gonna be boys? You wanna hunt Dragonballs with us or what?”

 _Perhaps she really was tech smart. Or at least magical._ Raditz looked to Vegeta, still unsure about the whole arrangement. But Vegeta clumsily regained his nerve, shutting his wide open mouth with a loud snap, and stomped over to Bulma. He crossed his arms and sneered, “Deal. You get us the Dragonballs, and we won’t kill you or take Kakarot.”

She returned his look and offered her hand. For just a moment, he looked back at Raditz in confusion, before she grabbed his wrist and made their hands meet, palm to palm, up and down. She smiled warmly, even as the Prince of All Saiyans’ whole face went bright red. “It’s a shake. It’s how we seal deals here. That or a kiss, but you kinda look like that’d be a bit much for ya.”

“Bulma!” The long haired boy shouted at her, and she just laughed and laughed.

Whatever they’d gotten themselves into, it was starting to seem rather annoying.


	2. A Hypothesis is Formed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Saiyan boys gather their first dragonball.

Our primary goal with this exercise was to see how the young Goku would react to having a brother, and how his worldview would change with the knowledge of his origins so soon in life. 

That night, the Saiyans made camp with the humans, sticking themselves far from the strange capsuled domicile that Bulma was able to conjure from thin air. The two separate groups did not talk to one another after the terms of their deal were confirmed, despite how desperate each side was to know everything about the other. But fear and pride and shyness won the day, and they settled into their separate camps, trying in vain to sleep while their heads filled with questions. 

Except, of course, for Goku. Though he joined the humans in their camp for the night, he was always a creature of the wild. When he was certain that his friends had all fallen fast asleep, he slipped out from the capsule home, and snuck quietly and swiftly over to the Saiyan boys’ camp. It was just a little fire, and the two boys sleeping on the damp forest floor. _The perfect way to sleep!_ Goku thought, buzzing with excitement. 

Goku hurriedly and fearfully sidestepped the smaller boy, sleeping against a log, and with a perpetual frown glued to his face. He did not like that Vegetable Man, no sir. In the thick of things, it felt like the Vegetable Man was in charge, and bullied the other boy into doing things he did not want to do. Goku doubted very strongly that the Vegetable Man would be able to fly the Flying Nimbus. 

Instead, he crawled over towards the taller boy, with the long, shaggy hair. This boy, Raditz, slept on his side, facing away from the capsule home and the fire, and snored just a little. It reminded Goku of his grandpa, and that thrill went through him again. Raditz had said that he was Goku’s brother. Goku had never had a brother before, and he wasn’t sure if he had one now, but he could not deny how strange it was to look up at another person’s face and see his own features looking back.

It was a little different, sure. Raditz was older, and sharper already than Goku. But they had the same nose, and the same brows. Raditz’s eyes were a little harsher, more clever, and his head was shaped a bit more like a triangle, but all the same, Goku felt some deep pull that proved in his heart that his person was his brother. And he wanted to know everything.

He crawled to the side that Raditz was facing, looking at the older boy’s face, trying to memorize it. He wondered if this meant that he also had a mother and a father. Having met Bulma’s, Goku guiltily had been wondering that for some time now. His grandpa had been more than enough family for him, he loved him with all his heart. But to think that somewhere out there were more people who looked like him? Whose faces had his features, but grown and strong? It was too exciting, and he was desperate to know. 

But it was silly to just sit here and wonder. Why not ask?

Goku poked Raditz once in the nose. Raditz wrinkled it, and hid his face deeper into his arms. Goku poked Raditz in the forehead, so Raditz swatted his hand away. So Goku then poked Raditz in the eye. Hard.

Swearing through his teeth, Raditz bolted awake, looking everywhere for the attack, but settling on the little boy in front of him. Goku smiled and waved.

“What the hell are you doing?” Raditz whispered, sounding as though he wanted to be angrier, but his voice hushed a great deal once he saw that the Vegetable Man was still asleep.

“Hi,” Goku started, rocking back and forth on his feet in excitement.

Raditz just looked at him in that weird big kid way Bulma always did—were Goku older, or even more versed in vocabulary as an adult, he might have eventually come to the word, incredulously. “Hi,” Raditz said, settling back onto his side. “What do you want, Kakarot?”

“My name is Goku,” Goku said, trying not to let his big brother’s simpleness drown his excitement. But still, really? “It’s not that hard to remember.”

Raditz groaned, rolling his eyes. “Your birth name was Kakarot. That’s the name our mother and father gave you. So…,” he looked at Goku, frowning deeply before letting his face soften. “I just have to get used to it. Sorry.”

Understanding lit up inside Goku’s heart, and shone out in the biggest grin, “Oh! I get it! Take your time then. It takes me awhile to learn people’s names too, Raditz. Yours is easy because I like radishes.”

He laughed, but didn’t seem to understand fully, “Uh, oh yeah?”

“Mmmhmm!” Goku nodded, making his rocking twice as fast. “But don’t tell your friend, I can’t really remember his name.”

Raditz looked over his shoulder with big, wide eyes. “Ah. Yeah, better not to guess it then. He gets…”

“Angry, I saw. He has a lot of energy, huh?”

“You… could say that, yeah,” Raditz had calmed down again, and watched Goku for a moment. “So… why aren’t you sleeping? What’s wrong?”

“I wanted to talk to you!”

“You did? Why?” He seemed confused, but also there was a hint of something just behind his eyes. Almost sad, almost a smile. It reminded Goku of his grandpa again, and Goku felt like being almost sad and almost smiling too.

“I’ve never had a brother before! I wanted to know more about you!” 

The evolution of expression on Raditz’s face was one to behold. His jaw went slack, and then closed, gently, pressing his lips together as if to hold back a great deal of feeling, but then, despite himself, he smiled, something very small, and untested. “I… I’ve never had a brother before either. I didn’t get to meet you when you were born. You were sent away too soon.”

That was sad, and Goku didn’t understand. “Why was I sent away?”

“They used to do that a lot on our planet.”

“We’re from another planet?!”

Raditz laughed, surprised. “Um… yeah. We’re from Planet Vegeta.”

Goku frowned. “Isn't that your friend’s name?”

Raditz nodded, “Its named after his ancestors. They took it over.”

Goku frowned some more. “That’s not nice.”

“Uh… it’s kind of what we do… but. That’s not important. Mother and father had to send you away, and it was good because after… well. Our planet was destroyed. Them… they were too,” Raditz was quiet after that, staring into the ground. Goku felt himself stop rocking, his feet, legs, arms, and head all heavy in a way he hadn’t felt since his Grandpa died.

“Oh…”

“Yeah.” 

The two brothers, separated by systems of stars and planets, both stared sullenly into the dirt, a shared feeling of mourning between them that felt better somehow than mourning alone, which is all they had had before. It was lighter, as if the load was shared. Without knowing why it felt right to, Goku reached for Raditz’s hand, and held it tight. 

“I’m sorry,” he said, his little voice heavy with tears unshed.

Raditz wrinkled his nose, and sniffed, squeezing his little brother’s hand once before taking it away, as becoming a Saiyan warrior, “Yeah… me too. I would have liked for you to know them.”

“Are you going to wish them back? Is that why you want the Dragonballs?”

His older brother glanced once more at the mean boy across from them, and then smiled at Goku, that smile that meant a secret was being shared. “...Yeah. I think I am.”

Goku smiled warmly, and nodded, “Then I am too! I want to help you get your planet back! Then we can learn all about each other and be friends!”

It was not in Raditz’s nature or training to be this warm, this open. But there is something about Goku that infects all those around him with his boundless joy, his inescapable pleasure at being alive. Raditz found himself believing that this wild story about Dragonballs and wishes actually could be real, and actually could happen. He returned Goku’s smile, and nodded back, “I’d really like that! Yeah! We’ll be friends!”

The two laughed into the night, until a grumble from Vegeta quieted them down into conspiratorial giggles.

 _It’s nice having a brother!_ Goku thought, as he nestled into the damp forest floor by his brother’s side.

 

Our secondary goal with this exercise, of course, was as my Lord tactfully put it “To fuck with Vegeta.” 

In more elegant terms, the standard narrative presents a prince who has lost his way, and has been consumed by violence and anger his whole life; how changed would this narrative be if he was given a glimpse of happiness before being set onto his path of destruction?

And if it is funny along the way, then… so much the better!

 

Dreams plagued the boy prince, as they always did. He was getting better at training himself to wake up, and hash them out in his own way, throwing all the rage and anguish that the nightmares provided into becoming stronger. But tonight, training did not win out. Visions of his father, melting into the fire of their world, replaced by the cunning, cruel eyes of Frieza, overwhelmed him. He was a Saiyan Prince, though, and pride demanded that he not run, not even in dreams. He stood stock still, facing the destruction head on. He had not seen his planet be destroyed by the asteroid. He had not seen his father in some years since being given to Frieza. But his imaginings of what had happened were worse than any knowledge could be. The ground would swallow them up, King and Prince both, clawing with gnarled clay hands at their skin, tearing at his father, revealing muscle, blood, and bone, eyeless sockets that stared down at Vegeta, demanding vengeance, demanding satisfaction, all while the only sound that filled his ears, filled his very soul was Frieza’s ice-like laughter. 

“Goku! Gokuuu!” a new sound entered his dreams, and where his father once stood, a man he did not know stood tall, proud, glowing like the sun. He looked down on Vegeta with something worse than demands of vengeance, something worse than the arrogance of Frieza--he looked down at Vegeta with pity. 

Vegeta woke with a start, as the blue haired human stepped over him, walking over to where Raditz was beginning to wake as well, accompanied by Kakarot. _What was Kakarot doing here?_ He thought mildly, trying to quell the shaking in his hands, and the indignity he felt at having been stepped over. In fact, he might as well get out all this energy on her. 

“What are you doing, Woman?” he growled. She glanced back at him with a mild huff, before kneeling down in front of Kakarot. 

“I wanted to sleep outside!” the boy said, as if it was an obvious thing. 

“Well, I hope these boys were nice to you,” the girl said, shooting a dirty look at Raditz, who pathetically crumbled under her gaze. That would not do. She was just some weak girl. Raditz should toughen up. He needed an example.

“Girl, I’m talking to you,” Vegeta stood now, stomping over to her. 

Her shoulders tensed. She had heard him, but was very pointedly ignoring him, as she forced sweetness into her voice to speak to Kakarot, “Just let me know next time, I was worried.”

“Okay, but I was fine. I wanted to hang out with my brother!” 

“We probably won’t be grabbing his tail anymore, ma’am,” Raditz said, quietly. _Ma’am?!_

“Raditz, don’t do that! This creature doesn’t deserve any sort of respect from Saiyans!” 

“Creature?!” she whirled on him. _Finally._ He puffed his chest, and tried to keep the smile from breaking out over his face. “Just because one of you doesn’t know the first thing about being polite doesn’t mean you can just go ahead and call a pretty girl a _creature_!” 

“Well, if I saw one, perhaps I wouldn’t call her a creature,” he said, relishing the word and how it made her eyes bug and her face go red. Whatever this fight was, he was winning, that was for sure. He could already feel the tenseness in his shoulders ease and the rising energy that had filled his blood quiet. 

“Maybe you should get your eyes checked, Short Stuff!” she roared. There was that crack again. His blood boiled anew. 

By now, the other two humans had emerged from the ridiculous little home she had transfigured out of nothing, and were cowering at the doorway. He could almost hear one of them call out to the girl, but that wasn’t going to stop his fight.

“My eyesight, and every part of my being is ten times more powerful than your puny, pathetic little weakling body could manage! If anything, you should get your eyes checked, seeing as how something so obvious as my superiority seems to have escaped your notice!” 

Her cheeks puffed out as she let out a held in sigh, and her brows furrowed, scrunching up her whole face with fury. “Seems a lot of talk with nothing to back up your claims, Short Stuff.” 

His eye twitched, “Do you need another display, like last night?”

“What happened last night?” the bald boy said, the hint of vulgarity in his voice zapping Vegeta out of his wrath. 

“Shut up, stupid, he means when this guy almost blasted us all to hell and back,” the taller, shaggier boy snapped. 

“Are you sure, I mean, we all went to sleep pretty early,” the bald boy whispered, but it was too much for Vegeta, his face now burning, as he rounded on them.

“It seems like you’re the one in need of a reminder!” He charged his energy, letting it whip around him, until Raditz rushed over, standing in front of the humans. 

“My Prince, please. Remember, we need them to find the Dragonballs.”

“We don’t need all of them,” Vegeta hissed, but he remembered Nappa’s training, how letting your emotions rule your mind would undoubtedly lead to doom. So he took four big breaths, and settled back down, the small release of power enough to have driven the memory of his dreams away. 

“Geez, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed,” the girl grumbled behind him.

“Well, he did sleep on the dirt,” Kakarot said after. Vegeta had had enough.

“Tch, let’s just get on with it, shall we?” he turned back towards the girl, one brow raised. “Where are the dragonballs?”

“Shouldn’t we eat breakfast first or something?” the bald boy groaned. “I’m starving.”

“The sooner I am off this planet, the better. You can go without,” Vegeta was not about to waste time on this excursion. Their time on earth was limited as it was, and letting these weaklings slow them down was a necessary, if not annoying, drawback. He wasn’t about to let them delay them any more than needed. 

“Well?” he said at the girl, and she grumbled as she fetched the radar from her pocket. 

“The nearest one is somewhere in this forest, due West-ish from here. So if we go…”

“That way,” he pointed, irritated already. He wasn’t even from here and he knew where west was.

She just glared, and returned to snootily reading the device in her hands, “If we go that way, we should be right by the dragonball by this afternoon!”

That wasn’t half bad of an assessment. He nodded, and started walking. Raditz quickly followed, while the humans dilly dallied, moaning about breakfast or some other nonsense. When he made no move to stop, they followed in line though. Such was the mark of a good leader, to lead by example. One of the first lessons his father had taught him, and one of the hardest he found to carry out, but all the same, it was working out now. He didn’t even have to yell--already today was turning out better than his dream had suggested it would.

 

It took much longer to find the dragonball than by the afternoon. It was nearly nightfall by the time they had figured out which damned tree the stupid thing was up, and the stupid girl had decided to climb up it herself despite everyone suggesting otherwise, just because she had been the first to see it and demanded that she be the first to have it. 

“Bulma? Bulma? BUUUUUULMAAAAAAA,” Kakarot’s voice was beginning to grate, which was not half as annoying as the shaggy haired boy’s woeful whining.

“This is all my fault, I shouldn’t have said she couldn’t do it, of course she had to show me up like this, I don’t even know what I did wrong,” Yamcha was his name, from what he’d gathered of their day together, and Vegeta was working hard to put that knowledge out of his mind permanently. 

“It’s not your fault Bulma’s such a brat,” Krillin said, another name Vegeta was hoping to forget soon, and yet, he mildly agreed with him.

“It’s not his fault she’s a brat, but it is his fault for goading her,” Vegeta sighed, rubbing his temples in a way he’d seen Nappa do countless times. The two human boys looked at him, mouth’s open like the stupid creatures they were. 

“It’s been at least an hour, she should have been down by now,” Raditz groaned. “Is it possible she’s dead? Are there things that eat humans in the trees?”

Vegeta laughed. “Maybe. Wouldn’t that be just wonderful.”

But Yamcha paled, and began moaning some more. Krillin tried to comfort him, though it was clear he was just as embarrassed and put off by this disgusting display. 

“Do you really think she could be dead?” Kakarot asked, his eyes wide with horror. 

“I’M NOT DEAD,” the harpy cried out from above, though they couldn’t see her through the leaves. Vegeta groaned. 

“Guess not,” Raditz said, trying to hide his own snicker. 

“Didja get it?” Kakarot called out excitedly, bouncing. 

“Um,” was all they heard back.

But Vegeta had had enough. “For pity’s sake,” he groaned, floating up through the branches and leaves. 

“Uh… Do you think that’s a good idea?” he heard Kakarot ask Raditz as he left, and the little snort of laughter that Raditz responded with. Good idea or not, he was sick of this girl’s attitude, and it was only day one of this venture. 

He actually had to go fairly high up the tree before he found her, and burst into laughter. The girl had managed to spread herself between two branches, flat across, unable to move for fear of falling. The dragonball was just an inch away from the hand that was between her and falling 15 feet through the air. She was not pleased to see him, and less so to be the butt of his laughter, which only increased his delight--her face scrunched up, and grew a bright pink, all the way to the blue of her hair. It was a very funny face, and he found he had to double over in the tree. 

“It’s not that funny,” she snarled. 

Breathless, he shook his head, “It actually is.”

“I’m stuck!”

“And you deserve it. You overestimated yourself, and didn’t think this through. What else was going to happen?”

“I tried, instead of waiting around for all of you to fight over who got to get it, I made an effort and did something! Doesn’t that count for anything?”

His laughter subsided as he considered. He was almost about to say that it did, thinking back on all those days just wishing Nappa would not hold him back, and keep him from trying half the things he wanted to do, but her hand slipped, and down she was about to go--

\--until he caught her. 

It was instinct really. Like one caught a glass that was about to fall from a table, unthinking completely. But sudden proximity with this girl threw him into the depths of a whole different instinct that he had until now been happily unaware of. 

She looked up at him, and her eyes, which until now had been judgmental and shrewd, were up close a shade of blue, quite similar to the sky of this planet, and very big. Her nose, so hilariously scrunched and piggish before, sat nicely on her face, round and soft like the rest of her features. That funny pink flush was now a sort of glow. “Thanks,” she said softly, and for a moment, he was certain he was going to fall himself. 

He swiftly put her down on the branch with the dragonball. She smiled at him, and picked it up. “Got it!” The triumphant gleam in her eyes and the warm laugh that came with the smile was a far cry from the teasing, snooty voice he’d met just the day before. He felt… Queasy. 

So he just nodded. “Well. Now you won’t plummet to your death,” he said, and hated that the tell tale squeak of youth was still present in his voice. 

She laughed again, and offered her hand. He knew she likely was asking for help down, but she got up here. She could manage. And he was feeling very odd, still floating there, just looking at her. It had been a few minutes too long of just doing that. _What am I doing? I’m a Saiyan! Are you afraid?_ He thought, and realized with a horrible shot of dread straight into his heart that he was, in fact, mildly afraid of her. 

“Um… Wanna help me down?” she said, finally, her brow lifted, and the teasing lilt back in her voice.

“No,” he croaked, and flew back down as fast as possible.

He only vaguely registered her shouting still from the tree, or that she was quickly tumbling through the branches to get back down. Vegeta instead busied himself with setting up camp for the night, as the others helped Bulma and marveled at the 2 star dragonball. Anything, anything to be away from her, and still his pounding heart. 

But she did not like to make things easy. She stormed over to him to shove the dragonball in his face, leaves and branches sticking out of her hair, and dirt all over her face. “There, Your Royal Pain! Your first Dragonball!”

The little thing dropped into his hands, round, cool, and smooth. She stood, blocking the light and waiting for some sort of praise. Instead, he settled on a good middle ground, utilizing that horrible, pounding feeling she had put into him and putting it to use with what he knew best: “Took you long enough. Who knew humans were so lazy. Let’s hope, Raditz, that the rest of these little things take less time to find. We’ll have died of old age by the time they’re all collected at this rate.”

The others quietly prepared dinner while he and Bulma yelled at each other for what felt like the rest of the night. That helped a great, great deal. Yelling made much more sense than whatever was happening in that tree. Yelling, he could win.


	3. Observational Investigations into the Psyche of the Teenage Romantic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The other children get their turn in the spotlight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i forgot that copying and pasting doesn't usually translate italics and the like, so hopefully going forward i remember D: i did go back and fixed the first two as well, so there's that!

Needless to say, these little experiments have primary focuses, but also create ripple effects in the greater group. There are times that I worry that our focus as Gods becomes limited simply to those who interest us, and we forget that there is a whole cosmos affected by our every action and reaction, that every small push warrants a pull at the other end. Other Gods do not take the time to consider these factors, and it is frightfully easy on our part to forget to do so at all. I myself have often been victim to ill considered actions. For instance, in an effort to help motivate a fighter to participate in a tournament that would determine the fate of his universe, I hastened the birth of his daughter, unwittingly insuring that she would become one of the most fearsome and deadly fighters that universe would ever see thanks to my small touch of magic. Had she been born by regular means, we could have seen an intelligent, cunning, but ultimately docile little woman, but now most assuredly she will grow to be stronger than all before her… Well, of course, except Pan.

But I’m afraid I’ve lost my train of thought, and we are focused, of course, on this alternate reality, not the main one which we partake in all too frequently. 

No, no, here we must refocus on the matter at hand, and the extraneous participants in our experiment who are affected most deeply by this small change, but are not our main source of entertainment. 

At this point in our little narrative, the relationship between teenage sweethearts, Yamcha and Bulma was at a rocky Okay. They were testing the waters after their first of many breakups, trying to determine if they could be kinder to one another, more patient with one another, and more attentive to one another. However, as is much the case with that age, they were not quite grown up enough to understand yet how even to be those things to themselves, much less each other, and so there were off days, and there were good days. A good day was when Yamcha agreed to go on this impromptu quest for the dragonballs that kicked off this whole story. 

An off day had been almost every single one since its start. 

The moment they had made the agreement with the Saiyans, Yamcha had rounded on Bulma inside the little capsule home they had made camp in. “What are you thinking, Bulma? These are aliens! From outer space! And they wanted to kidnap Goku! How can we possibly trust them?”

Bulma, as is her way, immediately pouted and raised her nose in the air, “Who says I trust them? I just made the best deal I could in the moment to save Goku, and it worked, didn’t it?”

“You promised them the dragonballs! Who knows what they could wish for? Maybe they want total and complete world domination!”

“Or galactic domination!” Krillin offered, completely unhelpfully. Bulma glared at him until he hid himself behind his microwave dinner. 

“Okay, so we follow them around awhile, get a read on them, figure them out and defeat them if need be, but at the moment, we weren’t strong enough to take them down and save Goku, and Goku definitely wasn’t. I wasn’t gonna put any of our lives in jeopardy, okay? This was the first and easiest thing I could think of!” Arguing with Yamcha usually was about stupid, insipid things, like his flirting with other girls, her flirting with other boys, or them not wanting to go out and do the same things. Now this, this was a real argument, and increasingly, more and more, she found herself shrinking under the challenge of it. Had she done the right thing? It felt like a good idea at the time, but Yamcha was right. She had no way of knowing how to deal with this down the line. What if the Saiyans did wish for something horrible? They couldn’t very well do what they did with Pilaf. The Saiyans could exact their revenge far more efficiently than Pilaf ever could. They’d seen a first hand account of that today, just having a taste of the short kid’s power. 

“I understand that Bulma, but I just wish that you’d think through these things a little more. I think we’re in over our heads here, and I think you know that,” he sounded scared. He sat down heavily next to Krillin, head in his hands, and the guilt ate at her. “I just wish I knew what to do. How to protect you.”

“I don’t need protecting, Yamcha,” she said, and half meant it. She did, obviously. She didn’t have Krillin or Yamcha’s skills, or even Goku’s crazy, apparently alien, abilities. But she still wasn’t incapable. She could take care of herself pretty well, and had long before she met any of them. Them being a team just made it more fun. So why didn’t they see it that way too? “Besides, Krillin and Goku offered it too!” She hadn’t been alone before, had she? Krillin and Goku both helped negotiate the terms of their deal with the Saiyans. 

Krillin looked between the two older kids, and hastily filled his mouth with noodles.

 _Traitor_ , she glared, but Yamcha just sighed, deeply. He was always sighing deeply. He could be very dramatic at times. _I can too_ , the guilty part of her reminded her, but it was easier to focus on Yamcha being annoying than stay in that guilty headspace. She wanted to, at least.

“It’s not Krillin and Goku’s fault, they were just trying to make the best of it.”

“So was I! How would you have gotten Goku out of there?”

“Goku’s one of them!” Yamcha said, and he had the decency to at least look guilty at that. Even if he hadn’t, she made sure that the glare she had on now was poison. “Not that… He would betray us or anything, of course not. It’s just. Maybe it wouldn’t have been so bad? Maybe he could meet more people like him?”

“And never come home?” she snapped. “Goku is as much one of us as he is one of them!”

“Didn’t you say that Goku turns into a monster during the full moon?” Krillin said through mouthfuls of pasta. “If he’s a Saiyan, do you think that’s a Saiyan thing, or just a Goku thing?” Another mouthful. “Like is Goku just a werewolf even by their terms, or are we gonna have to deal with three monsters?”

Yamcha and Bulma both looked at Krillin, their hearts dropping to their stomachs, the argument completely forgotten. Yamcha waved his hands wildly above his head, and yelled, “SEE? We didn’t think this through!” and that was the end of that for that night, but the arguments about whether or not to trust the Saiyans simply got worse the next day. 

 

It took hours of painful, dreadful walking through the humid jungle just to find the right tree where the dragonball was located. Bulma had spotted it, and happily announced the good news, and sank as soon as it devolved into a pissing contest.

“Very good, Woman. Raditz,” Vegeta commanded, but before the taller Saiyan boy could do anything, Yamcha stepped in front of him.

“Why don’t we do that for you, okay? We are the experts after all,” Yamcha tried to strike a pose similar to Vegeta before nodding at Goku, who looked up at him blankly, “Goku.”

“What?”

“Go get the dragonball.”

“Oh. Okay,” Goku hopped over to the tree, but Krillin stepped in before they could move any further. 

“Wait a minute, I can go, I’ll go get it. You got the first one. I think we should all have one, just to be fair.”

“Okay,” Goku said, stopping dead in his tracks.

“How are we supposed to trust that you won’t just hide these dragonballs from us once you collect them? Is there some sort of system that keeps track of who collects the dragonballs, so that only the collector can make a wish? So this was all a trick!” Vegeta took a step closer to the tree, glaring at all of them like a cornered animal.

“I doubt that’s how it works,” Raditz complained, but he was drowned out swiftly by Yamcha.

“Well how do we know that you won’t do the same thing, and just kill us after we’ve found them all for you!”

“Hey, we made a deal, we wouldn’t go back on that,” Raditz barked, pushing Yamcha. 

“You might!” Krillin yelled. “Goku, get the thing!”

“Okay.”

“That actually even makes sense, Goku is on both sides here, he should get them and collect them.”

“Yeah, actually, that does make a bit of sense, Kakarot is on both sides.”

“Kakarot doesn’t know shit, I’ll go get the damned thing!”

The yelling and shouting and roaring and general boyness of the whole situation came to a horrible peek, and devolved into straight up punching and pushing, with poor Goku halfway up the base of the tree, looking around in complete confusion. Finally, Bulma couldn’t stand it.

“I FOUND IT FIRST, I’LL GO UP THE DAMN TREE.”

They all stopped, staring. Yamcha, a bruise developing under his eye, scrambled over to her, worry in his eyes. “Bulma… That’s okay, you can’t do it. I’ll go up the tree.”

“Yeah, Bulma, it just… It might be pretty high up there, I’ll go,” Krillin offered. 

“I’m already on the tree,” Goku said, smiling at her. 

It was too much. She wasn’t useless, and she wasn’t weak. She pushed her sleeves up her arms, and glared at each and every one of them. “I’m going up the tree, and I’m getting the dragonball, and I’m going to keep it because I found it first, got it? So you can all shut up about it.”

To be fair, she hadn’t necessarily thought it through. She was a capable adventurer in her own right, she’d done plenty of things like this before, but her endurance as low and half way up the tree, she already felt like complaining. But that meant that those bastards below would win, and she couldn’t have that. So she pushed herself, further and further, until she saw the Dragonball, perched gently in between two branches. And she reached and reached, and very quickly found that she had not thought this through at all, and was completely and utterly stuck.

 

Later, after a pretty decently nice rescue where she’d even thought for a moment ‘Hey maybe we misjudged them, they’re not so bad at all!’, and an embarrassing tumble down the rest of the tree after where she firmly decided ‘No, actually, screw that, that kid sucks!’, she’d handed the damn thing to Vegeta, pissed as all hell at everyone, and just wanting to thank him, and show him up, all in one fell swoop. 

He hadn’t been grateful. In fact, he was down right repulsive, egotistical, annoying, and a complete pain. But at least he acknowledged that she had did something. 

“Took you long enough. Who knew humans were so lazy. Let’s hope, Raditz, that the rest of these little things take less time to find. We’ll have died of old age by the time they’re all collected at this rate.” He sat, taking the dragonball from her like it was some great, big favor he was doing her, and she could have slapped him. 

“I think we’d find them faster if I wasn’t having such terrible signal on my radar. It seems the only thing it's able to detect if your massive, stupid, giant big head,” she spat. It certainly wasn’t elegant, but he didn’t deserve that.

He stood, glaring, “Maybe you’re just not as smart as you think you are! If you make radars as good as you climb trees, I wouldn’t be surprised!”

“You let me fall, you big tiny jerk!”

“Big tiny doesn’t even make sense!” And on, and on. It was actually almost refreshing to just yell for absolutely no reason--he was an idiot, but at least she didn’t care what he thought.

 

When they went back into the capsule home again for the night, after what seemed like an hour arguing with Vegeta, Yamcha again rounded on her. That did suck.

“Why did you do that? You know we always have to rescue you, Bulma, why do you keep putting yourself in these situations! And you gave him the dragonball, that was stupid!”

Bulma was many, many things. She could be careless, reckless, dramatic, selfish, bratty, snooty, cowardly, jealous, and mean-spirited. But by God, she was not stupid.

She was tired. She was annoyed, and she hadn’t even had the opportunity to just rest, take a bath, and unwind from all this annoying shit. She did not want another fight. Especially not one that would actually make her feel badly. Especially not one with Yamcha.

And he cared about her. He was just worried, and she appreciated it, she did, but that didn’t make her any less angry, any less likely to actually hurt, or be hurt. So she took a deep breath, and sighed, walking to the door. “I think that I’m going to go for a walk. Good night, everybody.” 

No one said anything while she opened the door. It wasn’t until it was almost closed that she heard Krillin snort, “We’ll probably have to rescue her from that too,” earning him a slammed door, and a dirt clod to the face. 

Fuming, she stormed off passed the Saiyans who only paid her a cursory glance, the little Prince pointedly not looking at her, still pissy probably from losing their earlier fight. She had called him the Prince of Small Fry Toddler Babies, and he’d blustered into a tizzy of energy that had made her hair stand on end, and frightened her, but also made her want to laugh. It had felt pretty good, and she snorted a bit at the memory. 

Goku though, sitting with them, looked at her and smiled. 

“Where you off to, Bulma?”

“I’m gonna take a little walk, I think.” 

“Want company?” She didn’t, but it was Goku, and it was dark, and a jungle, and she definitely could get into danger there. The last thing she wanted was to prove Krillin and Yamcha right, so she nodded, happy that at least she didn’t have to pretend with him.

The two of them walked mostly in silence, holding hands because Goku liked to, and maybe it made her feel better too, looking at the stars through the jungle canopy. Eventually, she asked him what was on her mind, “Do you think we can trust the Saiyans, or was I stupid to offer them the wish?”

Goku blinked up at her in that way she knew meant he didn’t really understand, so she elaborated, “The guys think that maybe it was a mistake to offer them the wish, since they might wish for something bad.”

“I know what they are going to wish for,” he said, as if it were completely obvious. She, of course, was surprised.

“Really? They already told you? I kinda figured they’d be the slow to open up types.”

“No, Raditz, my brother? He’s nice when you actually get to talk to him,” Goku smiled, and the warmth coming from him made her smile too. He seemed very happy about this new development in his life, another surprise. She supposed they hadn’t even really asked him how he felt. 

“Are you happy to have gotten to meet him?” 

He beamed, “Yeah. But I hope they can get their wish… Or at least that Raditz gets his before the Vegetable Man does.”

She snorted. “Why? What’s their wishes?”

He scratched his nose thoughtfully, “Well, I don’t know what the Vegetable Man’s is, but… Raditz wants to wish their homeworld back. It was destroyed.”

She stopped in her tracks. “Destroyed?”

Goku stopped with her, his head drooped low. “Yeah. I don’t know what they are running away from, but… I think that that might be why they’re here. Whatever destroyed their planet must be pretty scary.”

They walked back in silence, still holding hands, after that. It gave her a lot to think about. More importantly, it proved that she’d been right to gamble a wish on this. There wasn’t a more noble wish she could think of than wishing one’s planet back to life. 

And if Yamcha wanted to fight her on that, she couldn’t very well share that, but she’d fight for them for sure. 

 

Bulma awoke, and waited in her bedroom for the rest of them to fetch her when they were ready. She was busy locating the next dragonball, and didn’t want to have to deal with any stupid boys while she did so. Or at least, that’s what she had announced early in the morning while Yamcha and Krillin ate their breakfast. They had grumbled outside the news and as expected, it didn’t go over well.

“How long does she need to calibrate the machine? It shouldn’t take this long,” the scarier, shorter Saiyan said, practically gnashing his teeth together in anger. “She should have done her due diligence before going to sleep, so that we could be ready right away!”

“Radars can be tricky,” the taller Saiyan said. Yamcha didn’t really like either of them, but this one at least was a lower volume, and less prone to destructive outbursts.

“She’s probably not even fixing it, she’s probably like. Painting her nails or something,” Krillin offhandedly joked at Goku. Yamcha wished he had stopped him, but it was too late.

“You don’t think she’d really make us wait around for THAT, so you?” Short-And-Scary looked about ready to blow. This wasn’t good, and there wasn’t much Yamcha could think to do except…

“Hey, uh, this could take awhile, but I’m itching for some action—do you… wanna spar?” The only one who was not screaming and was close enough was Tall-And-Not-Scary. Yamcha was certain that despite that, he was far stronger than any opponent he faced before… but maybe a friendly sparring match could settle some things between them? They liked fighting, and of course, Yamcha, Krillin, and Goku liked fighting. Why not? 

Tall-And-Not-Scary blinked at him a few times, trying to size him up, he guessed, “Do you really want to? I mean, no offense, I don’t have my scouter to tell, but I’m guessing your power level is kind of low?”

“What’s a power level?” Goku asked, mostly it seemed to escape the yelling going on between Short-And-Scary, the door to the capsule house, and a desperately scared Krillin. 

“It’s… well, it’s how much power you have.”

“Master Roshi can tell just by looking at you! He’s training us to sense that stuff!” Goku said, cheerily. Tall-And-Not-Scary looked to Yamcha for confirmation, and Yamcha just shrugged, giggling in embarrassment. He wasn’t quite sure why though. The tall Saiyan had a particularly searing look in his eyes, like he was testing you. It was a little intimidating. 

“Uh, yeah! Like, obviously just from being around you guys we can tell you’re plenty strong, but uh, we could kind of sense you before too.” That first night had been so spooky, lost in the forest and suddenly feeling the cold, spiked dread that came with sensing others’ ki. It felt like they were surrounded, but it had just been these two teens. Yamcha still had the willies from it. 

“He’s also training us how to conserve and use our energy only when fighting!” Goku seemed much too much at ease with the Saiyan… but Yamcha guessed it could be because he was one of them. He still felt a bit guilty at doubting Goku--he didn’t really think Goku would switch sides or join up with them, but what did they really know? What could they expect? The whole situation was strange, surreal, and overwhelming. He wished Puar was here to help make sense of it all, but she was at Master Roshi’s, and probably wouldn’t have too much to say. She’d make him feel better though, that was for sure.

“You hide how much energy you have? What’s the point in that?” The tall Saiyan said, deeply curious now.

Well, if Goku was at ease… maybe Yamcha should ease up too. Everything was weird enough already. “Why don’t you find out?” He settled into an attack pose, and raised and eyebrow. “Still up for it?”

As if embarrassed to be challenged, the Saiyan boy blushed, and immediately prepared for battle too. “Only if you don’t mind being beaten to a pulp!”

The two charged at one another, meeting blow for blow. Yamcha definitely struggled to keep up, but once he was able to note the pattern of the Saiyan’s movements, he at least was able to match them. If this were a real battle, it would be a desperate fight, but instead, the Saiyan held back, even smiled a few times, complimenting his moves. Surprising himself, Yamcha was having fun. It was nice to spar with someone tougher than you who was your own age (instead of a strange monkey kid—well, alien kid). 

“By the way,” Yamcha said, in between blocks, “we all kinda know now from yelling at one another, but I don’t think we’ve all ever formally introduced ourselves. I’m Yamcha.”

“Goku!” Goku cheered from the sidelines, happy to finally be able to introduce himself under pleasanter matters. 

Krillin had finally managed to escape the yelling, and shyly waved a hand, “Krillin. Nice moves by the way.”

The tall Saiyan smiled, almost as friendly as Goku’s, and for a moment, Yamcha could see the family resemblance. “Raditz.”

They all laughed as Raditz took the opportunity to land a blow on Yamcha as a sort of prank, happy to now be something a little closer to friends. 

Their laughter was soon interrupted as, after what seemed like forever, Bulma burst through the door of the Capsule house and shoved the radar in Short-And-Scary’s face.”THE DRAGONBALL IS IN THE MOUNTAINS, OKAY, OKAY, ARE YOU SATISFIED, GOD FORBID I NEED A LITTLE PEACE AND QUIET TO MAKE SURE I CAN PINPOINT EXACTLY WHERE WE NEED TO GO NEXT!”

Yamcha grimaced, “I may be her boyfriend, but I’m glad that’s not me right now.”

“What’s a boyfriend?” Raditz said, and they all laughed again.

“A sucker,” Krillin said, earning him a quick smack on the back of the head.

“Let’s pack all this up so we’re ready to go once they’re,” Yamcha gestured weakly over to the two yelling teens at the house, who seemed to have escalated in volume and dramatic arm flailing, “Done with that.”

Raditz seemed to share his sentiment, groaning, “Agreed. He can be at it for hours if given the chance.”

“Damn. And I thought Bulma was bad.”

 

Traveling to the mountains was easier than expected. Goku took the flying nimbus, and flew next to the Saiyans, leading the charge, while Bulma and the rest of the non-flyers drove below. Their first stop was the Ox Kingdom, as it was fairly close to where the dragonball was supposed to be, and it could be a good place to rest and stock up on supplies for the rest of their journey. It was only a day’s travel, and separating the group as such actually made for a less argumentative day than they had started out.

Yamcha even even apologized, which was something. “Hey, so… I was hanging out with one of those Saiyan kids, and I think yeah… Maybe we can trust them.”

There wasn’t an ‘I’m sorry’ in there, but Krillin thought that the intent was obvious. Bulma just stuck her nose in the air. He wasn’t sure why she was so particular about these sort of things when it could just be understood, but he supposed girls were all different in that way. “Well, I’m glad you came to that conclusion all by yourself,” she said. 

Krillin supposed though that he did get where Bulma was coming from. It just took him longer to see her point of view than others’. She had been trying to save Goku, and it worked out, and even though they had no idea if they could trust the Saiyans, that had worked out too, and she had already been in that camp, listening to Goku, in the first place, while he and Yamcha had just doubted her, and Goku. It was stupid to have to apologize at all, given that they were now all on the same page (well, at least about Raditz. He was cool) but he really didn’t want any more fighting going on, so Krillin grumbled up an apology for the both of them, “We’re sorry we didn’t trust you.”

She didn’t do much of anything for a little bit, but eventually she looked over her shoulder and smiled at him. Bulma was pretty nice when she was smiling, the rarity that that was. But it was a good start. He smiled back. 

Even Yamcha smiled, and shrugged his shoulders, “You were right.”

“Damn straight,” she giggled. 

“But,” oh no. Krillin groaned. _Figures it was too good to be true._ “You do need to start thinking these things through a bit more.”

“Oh?” That was a deadly sound. Krillin wished he had some sort of mind reading ability so he could shout at Yamcha _Just shut up! You were doing so well!_ He hugged himself and began to cover his ears, until… Yeah, that could work.

“BUT,” he shouted, at the top of his lungs, before this mess could begin further, “That Raditz kid was really cool, and we all agree that the little one is really rude, and totally unfair to you. What was with him this morning?”

Yamcha blinked at him, confused, but ready to change the subject too, even if he had no idea how Krillin was selflessly saving his life, “Uh, yeah, Raditz is pretty cool. He said that that’s just how Vegeta is, since he’s a Prince or whatever.”

Bulma seemed uncharacteristically quiet at that. He’d have expected her to swoon or something at the mention of princes, but maybe she really did hate that kid just as much as the rest of them did. “Just ‘cause you’re a prince doesn’t give anybody the right to a bad attitude,” he said, idly, but she did pick up on that.

“You know, maybe they have other reasons to have a bad attitude.” It was actually pretty considerate of her. But then she played right into his expectations of her, “Still… what’s with that guy, huh? You know he let me fall out of that tree?”

Yamcha glanced back at Krillin, and they shared a look, remembering how funny it had actually been to see Bulma stumble on every branch on the way back down. But it was a solemn secret right now, so they held in their giggles and rolled their eyes. 

“It’s like they’ve never seen a girl before,” she grumbled, and then something hit Krillin.

“Maybe they don’t have girls? Is that possible?” he scratched his head thoughtfully, “I mean, we’ve only met boy ones.”

That actually put all three of them into a relative state of quiet. What if they didn’t have girls? Krillin, as is his nature, thought a vast many things all at once, each more contradictory than the last. I have often found the way that his peculiar mind works to be one of fascination, and were he not a martial artist, and the strongest human fighter, I would hope he’d pursue a career in philosophy. Krillin, to my mind, fits all the quintessential trademarks of the human condition: constantly anxious, deviously clever, and frequently drowning in thoughts. As a child, he exhibited these traits tenfold. A brief glimpse into this thought process shows a whirlwind of nonsense that I can’t help but share:

 _What would it like to be on a planet with no girls?_  
_Probably better, huh?_  
_Nobodies nagging at you, yelling at you to clean your shirt, or brush your teeth._  
_But then your teeth probably would fall out._  
_Did I brush my teeth today?_  
_Ooff, no._  
_But if there were no girls, there’d be no Launch, and she’s pretty and pretty great._  
_But dangerous._  
_Would the world be safer?_  
_I guess though, girls keep you from doing stupid stuff sometimes._  
_But they also yell at you and do stupid stuff themselves._  
_But they are awfully pretty._  
_Ugh, more of that mushy stuff though._  
_Oh geez, are Bulma and Yamcha being mushy up there? Gross._  
_I wouldn’t want to be mushy with Bulma ever._  
_Even if she smells nice sometimes. ___  
_Do I smell?_  
_Ooff, yeah._  
_I’m so hungry. If there were no girls, we wouldn’t get to eat Launch’s food!_  
_But… we wouldn’t have to eat Launch’s food._  
_She’s good but like sometimes ugh._  
_Then again, Roshi’s food is worse._  
_If there were no girls, what would Roshi even do?_  
_Would he be stronger?_  
_Does liking girls make you stronger?_  
_Would liking boys make you stronger?_  
_Can you like boys?_  
_Wow, I really should’ve brushed my teeth._

____

____

And so on, for the rest of the ride to the mountain tops really. The matter of whether or not Saiyans had girls (they do) remained unanswered, as the two older teens relinquished their squabbles to, as Krillin put it so succinctly, engage in mushy stuff, and the younger teen pondered life’s greatest mysteries, at least to his particular point of view.

Similar discussions of philosophical thought were occuring in the air above them, as Goku asked his new Saiyan brethren to answer his own host of questions. 

 

“The Ox King’s pretty nice, he’s very big and strong, and he has a daughter, Chi Chi. She wants to get married, but I’m not really sure what that means, but she’s nice enough, if not a little weird,” Goku rattled off, and Raditz couldn’t help but laugh. 

Vegeta just scoffed, “Are all your human females like that?”

“What weird?” Goku pondered the question very seriously. “I don’t really know, I have really only met a few of them. Launch, Chi Chi, Bulma, and Bulma’s mom. They are all kind of nice, but a little weird. I’d say Bulma is definitely the weirdest though.”

“I like her,” Raditz admitted, and that was a mistake. Vegeta glared at him from up ahead, and though it would probably earn him a scolding later, Raditz backed down, and flew closer to Goku. “Well, you know. I think she’s interesting.”

“Are there girl Saiyans? I didn’t even know there were girl humans until I met Bulma! I had only known boys before!” Everything excited Goku, which Raditz found oddly refreshing. It was nice to just talk about things for the fun of them, and not for work, or strategy, or some desperate attempt to let loose all the pent up aggression they felt. 

Raditz laughed while Vegeta just rolled his eyes. “There were girl Saiyans. They were pretty tough.”

Realization dawned on Goku, and for a moment, he seemed to shrink, but Raditz just shook his head, trying to lighten the mood again, and whispered, “Not that Vegeta ever met any.”

“What was that?” the Prince growled, and Raditz and Goku giggled. 

“Nothing.”

It occurred to Raditz that Goku had said the girl, Chi-Chi, wanted to marry him. He balked, “Wait, wait, this Chi-Chi wants to marry you? Do humans get married so early?”

Goku just shrugged, “I don’t even know what it is.”

Goku was young, but not that young. Raditz wasn’t sure he was prepared himself to answer. “It’s uh… Well, I guess you only had a grandpa. Bulma has parents, doesn’t she?”

“Yes.”

“Well then they’re… I guess, I’m just assuming, but uh. They’re probably married. It’s different everywhere, it was different for Saiyans! It’s… Well, it can be, but it’s usually when two people who love each other promise to be together forever.”

Vegeta made a groaning noise, and Goku just nodded, interested. 

“So they’re very good friends. Best friends.”

“For pity’s sake,” Vegeta said, and Raditz couldn’t help it, he was starting to feel a blush coming on.

“Not… Not exactly no. I mean, they could be. But the nicest version of it, it’s romantic love. I guess uh… When you want to kiss somebody, and only that somebody”

“Why would anyone want to do that?”

“Are you an infant?” Vegeta snapped, turning around as he flew to stare aghast at Goku. “Are you really this ignorant? Really?”

“No, I’m…” Goku had to think about it a moment, but he smiled when he did finally remember, “12… 13 soon!”

“Give him a break, Vegeta, it’s not like you’ve ever really been interested in any of that either,” it had always been the one thing he and Nappa could tease the Prince about. Nappa frequently left off on planets to go whet his whistle so to speak, and Raditz had had his fair share of crushes on fellow soldiers. Vegeta meanwhile, was a late bloomer, and blushed and huffed off into a little tantrum any time the subject came up, refusing to talk about it. Perhaps it just wasn’t in the cards for the Prince, but he was still only 16. He just was always very judgy about Raditz’s ‘preoccupation with dalliances’, so Raditz never felt too bad teasing him about it. 

Even so, Raditz had become most preoccupied in the different ways other alien races dealt with romance than the Saiyans. His parents had been anomalous, marrying for love, rather than the more typical arrangements--political marriages, or casual intimacies. It was, as Nappa often said, usual for Saiyans to engage in flirtations, but that romantic love was typically a sign of weakness. Learning more about the galaxy at large, and knowing his parents, even their reputation, Raditz had to disagree. It was, perhaps, Raditz’s favorite secret daydream.

Needless to say, all discussion of any of these topics were null and void to the Prince. Right on cue, Vegeta blushed, “I still knew what sex was!”

“What’s that?” Goku asked, and neither boy was ready for that answer. They both hunched their shoulders, and looked for any distraction. 

“Whatever, just, marriage is typically for older people, those who’ve decided they’ve found their one and only forever,” Raditz explained hastily. “You’re much too young to know that for sure.”

“Raditz is a sucker for that sort of thing,” Vegeta sneered. “It’s a distraction from more important matters, like fighting and… And...” 

“Food?”

“Uh… Sure.” Something was off about Vegeta, but Raditz could not quite place it. Dealing with Goku certainly wasn’t his favorite thing--Vegeta still insisted on calling him Kakarot, which Raditz of course was having trouble with as well, but was trying. No, it was something about this conversation that was bugging him more than usual. His flight pattern was far more tense, and he seemed in a foul mood, but not argumentative. This bore further investigation, as far as Raditz was concerned. 

“Do you want to get married, Goku?” Raditz paid special mind again to call him by his preferred name, and Goku lit up. Vegeta just stopped paying attention whatsoever, grumpy as ever. 

He considered the question carefully. “Maybe. I’d like to have someone who would be my best friend forever. That sounds very nice. I don’t know about all that other stuff though. Do you?”

Raditz blushed, and tried to wave the question off, “Well… I don’t know. I doubt uh… That I’ll ever find anyone. And with…” _Frieza._ There was no time for such things as a member of the Frieza Force. It wasn’t unallowed, that would be mutinous. But it was a weakness, something exploitable that Frieza could use against you, take from you when he wished. It wasn’t wise, to say the least. Even the reliance and comradery that the Saiyans had with one another was a weakness, and Nappa urged them to all remain as uncaring of one another as they could allow. It was a hard lesson to learn when they were all each other had, that they shouldn’t rely on one another, worry after one another--if anything, Raditz was the worst at this lesson. He was the worst at a lot of things between the three of them. 

“Raditz?” Goku called, flying up close. Vegeta too had stalled, an eyebrow raised. He looked mostly bored, if not curious. 

Raditz wasn’t up to chatting anymore. He flew ahead, calling back only to ask, “How much farther?”

“I’ll… I’ll go down and ask. It shouldn’t be much longer!”

Even with three other Saiyans in the world, each separately felt as if they were the only one. It was a lonely feeling to be among the last, oppressive, and suffocating. The universe was a vast, vast space, uncaring and unfeeling about your place in it. As was the Saiyan way, each felt that they had to fight each and every thing that fell before them, just for the chance to stay standing. Even Goku, whose spirit, pure and unfettered, couldn’t help but at times feel the siren song of facing the world alone. Obviously, he grew out of it, to an extent, in our reality, fighting alongside his team. Even Vegeta, in our reality, found eventually that being alone was unsustainable. Each of them were afforded the great gift of finding family, finding where they belonged.

The Raditz of our main story never got that chance, constantly pushed and prodded by two stronger Saiyans to keep up, to grow colder, and colder in a world that demanded strength above all else. Family and hope died together in the destruction of his planet, and the Raditz of our reality, adrift without them, and finding no new course in the last of his people, fought long and hard just to make it to another day. The little lonely heart that once was dissipated swiftly, if only to keep beating. It had no chance to thrive. Perhaps here, with a little more peace, and a little more kindness, it can?


	4. A Chart Depicting the Relationship Between Hormones and Disastrous Occurrences

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ChiChi and Nappa make an appearance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks everyone whose read so far! <3

The mountain was not much farther, and in no time at all, they had all reached the borders of the Ox Kingdom. They dropped off their vehicle and landed, pursuing the rest of the way on foot. 

It wasn’t long until a small little armored girl had raced up to meet them.

“Goku!” she cried out, gleefully, rushing to his side. “I missed you so much! What are you doing here, why didn’t you tell me you were coming? Are you ready for the wedding?”

She said it all very fast, and with a great deal of squealing. Kakarot said something to calm her down slightly, mentioning the dragonballs, and the little princess seemed adamant at helping them. Vegeta was not sure if his ears could survive her help. Raditz was still sulking further to the back of the group, with the shaggy haired boy and the bald one, leaving him only the girl to sass at. He wasn’t sure if that was a good idea, but when he glanced at her to consider, she seemed to have read his mind, rolling her eyes at the little display. He smiled, almost laughed, and that--well, that didn’t sit well with him, thinking back to the tree. He looked away as fast as possible, and instead chose to snap at Kakarot. 

“She can help as long as she can help us get it done faster, alright, Kakarot?”

The little princess looked at Vegeta and Raditz suspiciously. He could not sense energy like Kakarot’s little gang seemed too, but he could see a shrewd and calculating politician like a boil on a hag. Young though she might be, this small girl was already adept at the requirements of a ruler. It almost made him feel nostalgic. “Who are they, Goku?”

“You know my friends! Bulma, Yamcha, Krillin…”

“No, no, the other two,” she glared at Kakarot. “Honestly, Goku, how could you think I’d forget your friends?”

“These are our newest friends, Chichi,” the girl decided to intervene, leaning forward to be level with the two shrunken children. “They’re Goku’s people, actually. He found out where he was from, and these two came from far away to get our help in finding the dragonballs!”

The princess looked at the girl as though she were a partially squished worm, “I’m not a child, please do not speak to me as such.”

Bulma’s face fell, and her eyes bugged in that peculiar way where she was trying very hard not to scream. The Princess’s attention turned back to Goku.

“You found out where you are from? You didn’t know before, my sweet Goku?”

“No idea! I guess I’m an alien!”

“What?” the surprise in the Princess’s voice was understandable. This limited, backwater world had no idea of the rest of the galaxy, so it only made sense that the reality of its vast populations would be shocking. 

Vegeta had had enough of this. “Kakarot is a Saiyan, a member of a proud warrior race, the strongest in the galaxy. Behind us is his brother, Raditz, and I am their leader, Prince of All Saiyans, Vegeta. We are eager to be on our—.”

“Way to see your father! We are on the hunt for Dragonballs, but we need to stock up and rest first, if the Mighty Ox King doesn’t mind!” Bulma snapped up, putting behind her irritation from earlier and directing it instead at him. He just scowled.

“Oh yeah! And you can definitely help us find this one! It’s supposed to be at the mountain peak!” 

The Princess considered this, and then nodded, taking Kakarot’s hand, “It’s been a bit cold up there lately, with some unseasonable snow, so it’ll be pretty hard to get up there by yourselves. I can definitely help with that, and the Ox Kingdom would be happy to provide any friend of Goku’s with supplies for the trip! But come on, we’re all about to eat!”

The group followed the little Saiyan and little Princess further into the village. For a kingdom, it was smaller than Vegeta had expected. Small domed homes were spread haphazardly all around, with various peoples and creatures looking up, watching them as they entered. Most waved pleasantly to Kakarot, already a miniature celebrity in his own right. The rocks of the mountains acted as a sort of wall guarding the village, and shading it from the evening, setting sun. All in all, Vegeta might have considered the place idyllic, had that been something he took the time to consider. Alas, those sorts of poetic notions were Raditz’s realm. 

“Have you scaled these mountains before?” he asked, and while he wasn’t asking anyone in particular, the only person by his side was the girl.

Still, he was a little surprised when she answered, “Not all the way to the peak, where the ball is currently, but our adventures often lead us this way. I think the first time Goku and I did this the Ball was closer to the village. That’s when the two little lovebirds met!” She giggled good naturedly at that. Vegeta tried his very best not to pay attention to the difference in sound from her other laughter, or notice that it was a nice sound. 

“How many times have you hunted these Dragonballs before?”

“Hmm, probably two or three times, give or take. I guess it’s become something of a hobby now.”

“And you’ve found them every time? And made your wish?” She was awfully cavalier about something so powerful. He couldn’t understand it.

“We have! I uh,” she paused, realizing something, and that blush crept up her face again, and he was determined not to think anything of it. “Well, I guess I’ve never gotten to wish for anything. The first time… was dumb. We had to stop some bad people for wishing for world domination, it’s a long story… but we wished for something simple to get ours out first.” She must have seen his darkened look, as she quickly shook her head, “Unless you want to wish for something real bad, we won’t do that to you, I promise. The second time, Goku brought his friend’s father back to life. I can’t remember what we did for the third one…”

 _So the dragonballs could raise the dead_ , he thought, sparing a glance back at Raditz, who seemed to be coming out of his sulk. It wouldn’t matter if they could bring everyone back. Frieza would just destroy them himself this time. They needed a better plan, a stronger plan. And perhaps once they had succeeded, they could return and do this again and finally be reunited with their world. It was a big dream, as Vegeta kept it locked safely inside his heart, to fuel him as they went along on this journey.

“What would you wish for?” he asked, suddenly and much quieter than he meant. He wasn’t even sure why he did, but he pressed onward, curious, “You said you hadn’t gotten to wish for anything. What would you wish for?”

Her blush grew and she tried her best to raise her shoulders, look away, and frame her face with her blue hair, anything to not be seen. He smiled, despite himself, but quickly tamped it down. _Whatever is going on, stop it._ “Uh… I haven’t really. Well. I don’t really know what I’d wish for.”

“But you’ve thought about it, you just aren’t sure you want to share?” It was an easy guess. The fact that she glared at him from behind her hair told him all he needed to know. 

“I used to want to wish for a boyfriend,” she grumbled. “The perfect one! But I got that now, so… I told Goku once that I wanted strawberries, but uh… that’s no good either.”

He glanced back at the group behind them, spotting the tall, shaggy haired boy speaking happily with Raditz. So they were a couple. This was a mild note, nothing worth any kind of reaction, and yet he felt very queasy, and like snapping at anything that moved. His tail wagged anxiously, as he tried to move forward with the discussion.

“You could have anything you want in the entire galaxy and you’d pick strawberries?” He didn’t know what they were, but he guessed it was something far too typical for such a gift.

“No, I wouldn’t. I just don’t know,” she was very quiet then. “How about you?”

They looked at each other then. She seemed to be studying him as much as he had been observing her and her whole group, trying to piece together some mystery. He wasn’t one who wanted others to be able to figure him out, and held all his cards closely to his chest, never wanting to show or share too much. It was a King’s way. It was even Nappa’s way. But still, she didn’t seem to have an ulterior motive in the way she looked at him. Just some soft look that hurt to watch too long, like staring at a bright light. 

Kakarot came up to him, snapping the two of them away from one another. “Come on, Vegeta, it’s dinner time!” The boy made a move to grab his hand, and he dodged, but several more attempts proved Kakarot to be not only a fast learner, but also quick in general. 

He’d have to keep an eye on that, but for now he just growled at the boy, “Get off of me!”

 

Dinner was a feast, even fit enough for the endless appetites of teenage Saiyan boys. They ate their fill, explained their plight to the Ox King, and were guaranteed all the supplies, equipment, and snow gear they could need for the journey. 

It was actually quite fun too. Raditz found himself talking more and more with Yamcha, swapping stories of their planet work and of Yamcha’s time as a bandit. It only occurred to him now that perhaps humans might not find all the details of their work suitable, so Raditz mostly laughed awkwardly, and let Yamcha talk, censuring himself with food and shrugs whenever it was his turn to answer. The human teen was a far cry from the company Raditz kept, and a good distraction from the dark feelings he’d begun to indulge in earlier. 

He also seemed… Lighter. Raditz liked the way Yamcha talked, easy going, but still a little shy. He was a goofy and sweet person, something completely different from anyone Raditz had ever known. His life was rough, but never truly unhappy. It was full of friends, laughter, and the sort of comfort that came from completely and totally trusting the people around you to always be there for you. It was a little intoxicating.

That… And Yamcha was cute. Very cute. He had a handsome square face, still a bit rounded out by youth, gentle eyes, and a big, crooked smile, and he was about Raditz’s height, but wider. He had a laugh that betrayed his naivete, but a voice that sounded almost roguish. Raditz was completely overwhelmed.

Nappa never approved of Raditz’s crushes, always telling him to do what needed to be done, and leave it behind for good. Raditz could not and would not try that, half because he tried to never do anything Nappa wanted him to do, and it never felt right. Neither Saiyan ever approved of anything Raditz did really. And tonight, just now, laughing and joking and eating merrily with others, his Prince looked close to sick with fury, while Raditz had the time of his life. Not once had he ever felt so connected with others, or so happy and cheerful. If that made the Prince uncomfortable well... Who actually cared what Vegeta thought? 

After dinner, Yamcha even showed Raditz some of his moves that he hadn’t exhibited during their sparring match. He had some clever tricks up his sleeve, and tried to show Raditz how to do some of them. “We gotta get you a signature move. Everybody has a signature move!” 

It was fun. It was freeing. And even in the dark, the human boy’s eyes sparkled with a kind of cunning Raditz found delightful. Very quickly, Raditz realized that he had found himself again in a crush. But Nappa wasn’t here, and Vegeta was a brat. So why not just have fun with someone who listened for once?

“So what’s your signature move, if I have to have one too?” Raditz said, teasing. 

Yamcha smirked, and demonstrated. It looked fairly powerful, an effective jab in the air, accompanied by a small burst of energy. “Wolf Fang Fist,” he shouted, absolutely showing off, winking as he landed, still posed to strike again.

Raditz clapped, trying not to laugh, “Pretty cool, I’ll admit. Did you make it up?”

There was that laugh again, much too sweet for the attitude it seemed Yamcha tried desperately to cultivate, “Uh, not exactly. I kinda picked it up here and there, but mostly my friend, Puar, showed me how.”

“Is Puar your teacher?”

“Kinda? My friend, my teacher, my sister, sort of. Puar is a cat,” Yamcha said that with a shrug, and Raditz just blinked.

“A cat?” He had seen that Earthlings had animal citizens as well, but also simply animals. He tried not to think too hard, but he had to ask. Before he could get the words out though, Yamcha hastily explained.

“A talking kind. Not the animal you guys were eating when we met you. No, no, Puar, she floats and talks and transforms into things, and is pretty good at fighting.”

“Oh.”

“She was the only person I really knew for a really long time! She took care of me and everything,” Yamcha shrugged. “That’s… I guess a little weird from the outside? Or do you have somebody like that too?”

The answer was easy, but his stomach fell all the same. He tried his hand at Wolf Fang Fist instead, and Yamcha correct his pose a bit. The matter seemed dropped, before Raditz did say anything. “It’s not weird. That’s nice.”

“What?”

“Having someone who looked out for you like that. That’s really nice,” Raditz attempted the move again, adjusting as Yamcha instructed. It seemed to work that time. “You’re very lucky.”

“Is… The Prince not like that for you?”

He grimaced. Yamcha laughed.

“Uh, forget I asked. He does seem kinda…”

“Like a pain?” he smiled, not pleasantly, but he wasn’t entirely bitter. Some times were fun with Vegeta. But it was not because Vegeta was fun. Raditz simply just had to make the most of it. He’d never really thought of it that way before, and talking like this was not the light hearted, mildly flirtatious conversation he’d been hoping to have. But it was nice to just tell someone else… Anything really. When had been the last time he’d gotten to vent about something other than Frieza to anyone other than Vegeta, who always made the venting all about Saiyan Pride. 

Raditz smiled, and changed the subject to something else he’d been wondering since he’d met the humans, “Have you ever wished for anything on the Dragonballs before?”

Yamcha blushed, giggling madly, “Oh uh… no, no. I haven’t had a chance to make my own wish. I wanted to wish for a girlfriend before, but uh…”

“Bulma,” That was a slight hiccup in the crush department, but it wasn’t anything Raditz wasn’t used to before. Sometimes that would happen, and Raditz would just have fun with the feeling, never pursuing anything more (unless of course the opportunity arose and the couple broke up. But who was to say how long they would be on earth?) Nothing would really come of this anyway, it was just nice, that was all. Yamcha, as cute as he was, was a good friend to have too. After all, Raditz didn’t really have any.

Yamcha sighed heavily, somewhere between the dreamy sigh of lovers, and the anguished sigh of the put-upon, “Yeah… She is just… She’s great when she’s great, you know? But sometimes I wish I could just… get her to stop once in awhile. She’s always going off half cocked and then getting mad for no reason! It’s better when she’s just happy and I don’t know how to keep that way!”

“Nobody just stays happy, Yamcha,” he wasn’t really that interested in helping him in his romantic dilemmas, but it seemed a bit narrow minded of a view. “People are their own. Sometimes you can’t help but do the thing that you feel is right, even if everyone is telling you it’s wrong.”

It was meant as the best advice he could really think of, without really committing one way or the other, so Raditz was greatly surprised by the gentle touch of Yamcha’s hand on his shoulder, and the searching look in his eyes, as he turned to face his sparring partner. His stomach did little flips as Yamcha spoke low and serious, “Is that how you feel?”

He was unused to getting to the heart of his own issues. He pulled away, already missing the warm, and weighted sensation of Yamcha’s hand on his shoulder, but needing some distance from his astute and clever eyes. Nobody had ever asked him that before. “I… Saiyans aren’t supposed to worry about petty things like that. We’re supposed to be strong, focused on the mission.” He shuddered. He sounded like Vegeta.

“Okay, that’s how you’re supposed to feel, but is it how you do? What feels right to you?”

There was nowhere to run in the conversation, except physically away. Raditz gulped, shrugging, “Ah, look at the time! We probably need our rest before our hike in the morning. Thank you, Yamcha, for showing me those moves. Very. Educational… Good night!”

 _Smooth_ , he groaned as he kicked off into the air to fly back to the little room the Ox King had given the Saiyan boys. He had always had crushes, and they’d never worked out. But he used to be somewhat cool about them. Or so he thought.

He retreated to his bed, trying not to notice the equally fitful Prince on the other side of the room. Only Goku slept soundly, snoring in between the two older Saiyans without a care in the world.

 

The next morning, Bulma woke up early to capsulize all of their supplies and materials, and to further attempt scrambling the scouters. The little machines were ingenious in design, but she quickly had gotten a grasp of their capabilities. Inside the capsules, they were dead silent, unable to transmit at all, but the Saiyans had already mentioned they needed to check in now and again. Thankfully, they had already recorded some effective (if not completely dorky) little messages to do that. Using those, and a quick little hack, she was able to transmit messages to whatever the home base was for these guys, while also scrambling the transmission signal so that it could not be traced back to them. She’d done this yesterday as well, but no one had appreciated her efforts in locating the Dragonball enough for her to bring it up. It had to be done anyway. Wherever they were from, it likely was much more dangerous than two teen soldiers alone were. She tried not to think too hard about it as she capsulized the scouters once more. 

Somehow, despite waking up early, everyone was already waiting for her outside. At least Raditz, Yamcha, Krillin, Goku, and ChiChi chatted pleasantly while they waited. The stupid boy prince just glared at her, tapping his foot so fast she was surprised it didn’t fall off.

“Well?” He said, his tail swaying easily behind him, in direct contrast to his crossed arms and tapping foot. “Are you ready or not?”

She glared, hoping that it was a look sufficient to get him to leave her alone. When it wasn’t, she stuck her nose in the air, and walked straight passed him without paying him any mind. That should show him.

It seemed to, as she knelt down to talk to ChiChi, she could hear him sputtering in outrage to Raditz and Goku. 

“Thanks for leading the way, ChiChi,” Bulma said with a smile. She’d felt bad about treating her wrong the other day, she just wasn’t quite sure how to handle her. So friendly was her goal here.

ChiChi seemed to appreciate the gesture and smiled, “No problem! It’s nice to hang out with you all! Ready to go?”

“Definitely! Let’s hit it!” 

The Ox Kingdom itself was already a bit unseasonably chilly, but no so much so that the group felt the need to wear the heavy winter coats that the kingdom had helpfully provided. A light jacket was tied neatly around Bulma’s waist, but she felt comfortable in her capris and capsule corp t-shirt as they headed up the mountain. The breeze was cooling, the trees were beautiful and in bloom, and the view around her reminded her why she liked adventuring in the first place. 

This, of course, is my personal favorite aspect of Bulma. The turnaround for her emotional states is frightfully fast.

No less than an hour later, as the climb towards the top swiftly grew steeper, and the view more rock than gorgeous valley, had her whole mood soured. 

Her calves ached from the exertion and somehow even her arms were sore, everything from her shoulders down feeling like they were dragging thousands and thousands of pounds, when in reality all she carried was a small bag with a water bottle, and all of their essentials helpfully capsulized in a small compact. The boys had all overtaken her pace long ago, and were happily chatting, throwing rocks down the ravine, running every now and then just to show off, apparently? Chichi still led the group, this climb nothing to an Ox Kingdom native, much less its Princess. She alone was the tail end of the group, and she grumbled to herself, knowing that her only real friend in her times of need was always her own self-interest. 

“This is stupid,” she said, lengthening her stride painfully as the mountain path once again grew steeper. “This is absolutely stupid! Who would do this to themselves? Why don’t mountains come with elevators? This. Is. Stupid.”

She glared up ahead at the group. Chichi had giggled merrily at something Goku or Yamcha had said, probably both. She even seemed to be smiling now at Vegeta, who despite himself, smiled back. Bulma made a face. It was dumb to be jealous in general, but the fiery hot grip of the green monster had a deep clutch on Bulma’s heart, especially in her youth. Everyone seemed to have a better time without her. Everyone seemed to get along just great without her. She couldn’t understand it--she was fun to be around! She could be delightful, and charming, and beautiful if she really wanted, it’s just that nobody ever gave her a chance! 

But in truth, maybe she did nag. Maybe she did rush off recklessly, or run away like a coward, and maybe she did complain, and maybe, maybe, maybe. She just couldn’t win, not even with herself. She was either too pretty to be taken seriously, too smart to be pretty, or too stupid to listen to. There was no in between world where she felt herself existing, but nobody saw her, where she just was Bulma, all of those things at once, and still somehow worth anyone’s time. If no one could see her that way, then she had to stand up for herself, didn’t she? But what would life be like if someone, anyone, also stood up for her?

 _What would you wish for? Stupid Prince._ “What would I wish for, I’d wish for an elevator, that’s what I’d wish for,” she groaned, kicking a rock off the pathway. What did it matter what she’d wish for, she didn’t get to make that wish anyway this time. _But Goku said that Raditz wanted to wish for their planet back. What did Vegeta want to wish for that was so different that Goku was so worried?_

Despite Goku’s worries, and despite even her own annoyance at the boy prince, he had rescued her from the tree, to a degree. For all his pomp and pissiness, Vegeta seemed like any other boy. He almost reminded her of Yamcha when they first met, all bark and no bite. She wondered if anybody else had seen that of him. Judging just by how the Saiyan boys acted, it seemed as though they were in such a hurry to grow up and seem incredibly frightening, when in reality, they were just like Bulma and Yamcha--young, desperate, and stupid as get out. She laughed to herself, _I bet Vegeta’d like it SO MUCH if I called him stupid to his face._

Yamcha glanced back at her, and smiled shyly. It almost made her feel better. She waved back at him, hoping that maybe, maybe he’d come check on her. Instead, he beamed, waved, and went right back to joking around with Raditz.

She couldn’t blame him. It seemed like a lot of fun up there. Still. “Stupid Yamcha,” she kicked the same rock once she had caught up with it, and tripped. 

“Damn it! Stupid rock,” she squeaked, landing on her hands and knees. Her skin stun where the ground had scraped it, but she was not going to complain… Well… At least not loud enough for anyone to hear. She’d suffer gracefully in silence! A heroine cut down in her prime! She sat down, examining her cuts with only mild persistent whimpering, just like the true goddamn champion she was. 

“Looks bad. You might die,” son of a bitch. 

“Nobody asked you, okay?” she glared up at Vegeta, who hovered above her with a smirk on his face. Why would he be flying unless… “You trying to look taller, Short Stuff?”

His face fell, turning a bright red. “No!” He landed onto the ground in front of her with a loud thud. 

Well, at least that made her feel kind of better. She laughed, as she reached into her bag for some bandages, hissing at the sting in her hands. Suddenly, Prince Short Stuff was kneeling beside her. 

“You’re falling awfully behind,” he said, and she had to look up to make sure it was still him--there was hardly any bite or sarcasm to that. Rather, he held out his hands, expectantly. “Give me those.”

“I’m not helpless,” she snapped, clutching the bandages, trying to hide the wince that went through her at the sting in her hands.

He just looked at her, bored. Finally, she relented. “You can at least help my hands, I can get my knees fine.”

He set to work, tail aimlessly swaying behind him as he did. “It’s hard to imagine that you’ve done this before with how prone to injury you seem to be.”

She busied her other hand and teeth with her knees while he worked. He frowned at that, but she wasn’t going to hold everybody up if she could help it. That is, if they even were waiting for her. She spared a glance ahead and couldn’t even see them. “Everybody’s really far up ahead, huh,” she grumbled, before handing him her other hand, and working on her other knee. “And I’m not prone to injury! I just tripped that’s all.”

“First the tree, now the mountain, I can’t believe you don’t just fall apart at the seams,” he snorted, thinking himself really funny no doubt. 

“You’re the reason I fell out of the tree. Why didn’t you help me down?” 

“I thought you didn’t need any help?” he smirked, and she was surprised he was so close. She wondered… 

“And I thought you were in a hurry? This is the second time you’ve come to play Knight in Shining Armor,” she leaned in, and hooded her eyes the way she’d seen in magazines. “What’s your angle here, Tough Guy? Trying to make a move on me?”

Again, his face fell, somehow going pale and red all at once. She stifled a laugh, just to sell the point home, “We were wondering if you guys had ever seen a pretty girl before!”

He fell back, stuttering, “O-obviously! You’re awfully arrogant to suggest you’re one yourself!”

He looked cute like that, red faced, stuttering, and flat on his butt. But now she was feeling bad. He did help her. She looked at her hands, and smiled back at him, getting up, and offering him her hand all the same. “Hey, thanks, Vegeta! That was nice.”

He glared at her hand, focusing all his energy on it, “I’m not… I’m not nice.” 

“Well, okay, sure, maybe you’re not nice in general, but you did a nice thing just now. I appreciate it. Is that better?”

He looked up at her, suspicion and fear filling his face, but swiftly, and almost imperceptibly taken over by pride. He stood on his own, and she shrugged. It figured that was about as good as it got with him. 

“So I guess now that you’ve got me back on my feet you’re gonna go hang out with the others now?” she said with a sigh. “It’s fine. I’ll meet you guys at the top or wherever we make camp for the night.”

He looked away, and crossed his arms. “Of course not. I’ve got to keep an eye on you. You might slack off some more.”

She wasn’t sure if she felt worried that this was some sort of trick to tease her more, or relieved to have some company, even if it was the Saiyan Prince. So she just bit her lip, and asked as quietly as she could, “Really?”

“Well?” was all he said, nodding towards the path. A laugh bubbled out of her, but even so she couldn’t help thinking as she beamed at him, joining him up the mountain path, _What a dickhead._

She half expected that they’d walk in silence, but as soon as she matched pace with him (or he with her--she sort of expected him to walk faster to catch up with everyone, but they walked steadily and easily along, not at all in a hurry), he grumbled out a question, “So what are those capsule things anyway?” He didn’t look at her, or anything, just crossed his arms, staring dead ahead, tail gently swaying behind him. 

She shrugged. “Do you want the long, cool science answer, or the commercial?” She thought it was a pretty good joke, but he just rolled his eyes.

“I’m not completely versed in the science, but I’m not an idiot. Long answer.”

Again, she was surprised. Even a little excited, “They’re capsules, or dinocaps as they’ve been currently labelled. My father invented them. Basically what happens is, through a specially designed system of matter pressurizing and repressurizing, the molecules of a subject are…” Bulma found herself getting lost in the explanation. Her mother always said it was important to try and make things accessible for others, as that was the best way to interest others in science and sell to the masses was to, as her father would then put it, dumb it down. Bulma found that explaining things was easy, even easy to simplify, and fun too. The question always was, would people listen anyway? The answer, typically was that no, no they did not. Yamcha occassionally did, but usually only when it applied to their shared interests--planes and motorcycles, Yamcha loved to hear about. Anything else, not so much. It was okay, she learned to manage. 

But Vegeta nodded along, and stopped her every now and then with clarifying questions that she was happy to answer. Things like “but how exactly do they fit?” and “what is pressurizing in this context?” It was actually pretty fun, and the most exciting part of the whole exchange was, he seemed to be having fun too. 

“I actually helped come up with that part when I was 12!” she couldn’t help but brag a little. And he laughed. 

“So you are useful after all. Just maybe not when it comes to climbing things,” she may have been imagining it, but that particular tease and that particular smile almost seemed warm. 

She shrugged, “I do my best, but I’m definitely the brains of this outfit, no doubt.” A ledge appeared, and with it, a cave, where Krillin poked his head out, and waved them down.

“Bulma! We’re hungry! Can we have food now please?” The others joined Krillin, poking their heads out, watching. She’d been keeping them, and was sure that they would complain, but instead, Yamcha waved, smiling wide, and calling out.

“We missed you, slowpoke!” He laughed that boyish, sweet laugh of his and her heart skipped a little. _Oh yeah. I guess that’s why I like him._

“Race ya?” Bulma said to Vegeta, but he scowled, and said nothing. So she just jogged on ahead, already grabbing the capsules out for dinner, in a much better mood than she’d been further down the mountain.

 

They had all been waiting for awhile once Bulma and Vegeta arrived, chatting away aimlessly. Goku heard them aways off, him asking her to explain the capsules one more time, and she happily reciting the gibberish that made her sound so smart. Once they got to the mouth of the cave though, the two broke off, even though she hadn’t finished explaining--Krillin demanded food, and Bulma busily rushed up to Yamcha, hugging him for some reason. When Goku looked back at Vegeta, he was sulking in a corner, joined by Raditz who looked somewhere in between ready to tease and sulk himself. 

“Seems like there’s a bit of situation going on among your friends,” Chichi muttered with a giggle, but before he could ask her what that meant, Bulma had started uncapsulizing dinner. 

When dinner was served, Goku had hoped that the Saiyan boys would come sit with them together in a circle, like he and his friends always did, and like they had the night before at the Ox King’s table, but they shuffled off to a corner of the cave, alone. 

Yamcha whispered something to Bulma about being sorry and began kissing her hands in that way that Krillin described as mushy, and Chichi squealed at the sight of it. Krillin complained, shoveling his mouth filled with noodles. All in all, it seemed as though his human friends might be set. And they were being a little weird too. Goku took his serving, and joined the Saiyans, out of curiosity, and a bit of worry. He wanted to bring them together somehow, he just wasn’t sure what to do to make it happen. So he sat, eating and pondering, while the older boys goaded one another, unaware he had joined them.

“Your tail sure is wagging a lot since we got to Earth, Vegeta. Seems this planet agrees with you, eh?” Raditz chuckled.

“Hypocrite,” was all Vegeta said in response, staring intently beyond his food. 

“I’ve never had a problem with being a hypocrite before! I like him, and it’s _fun_. I don’t care about Saiyan pride or not,” Goku watched them as they argued, more specifically, their tails. He hadn’t really noticed if either of them were wagging their tails more often than not, but now that he really looked, he realized that the older boys typically had their tails wrapped round their bellies. He wondered if that was polite or something, and attempted to test it out. His tail was quite agile, but moving it around his waist in such a way was a bit tight, and strange. The weight of it was comfortable, but the strain on his tail was a bit irritating. Maybe he wasn’t doing it right. 

“It’s evident that you don’t care about Saiyan Pride, Raditz.”

“Just ‘cause you’ve got your tail so far up your--.”

“How do you do that?” Goku asked, and the boys looked at him as if he were a ghost. 

“What?” Raditz said, choking a bit on his dinner.

“Wrap your tail around your belly? Is that what you’re supposed to do?”

The older boys exchanged a look, and Vegeta resumed eating his dinner grumpily, while Raditz leaned forward, “It’s around your waist, not your belly. Right here, see? And its… Uh. I guess it’s sort of formal, yeah.”

“It’s strategic. That way, no one can grab it, like I was able to grab yours,” Vegeta grumbled. 

Raditz looked at Vegeta slyly, leaning even more forward to whisper at Goku, “And then nobody knows what you’re thinking or feeling either.”

“People can tell how you’re feeling by your tail?” Goku was amazed! He had no idea. He certainly couldn’t tell what the other two thought, but then again, he supposed he’d just never thought of it!

“Sure! If your tail is wrapped around your waist, you’re on guard, formal. If it’s loose, you’re at ease, with friends or family. If your tail is dragging, you’re sad, or if it's straight, you’re angry, ready to fight. If it’s wagging, or wraps around someone else…”

“Shut up, Raditz!” Vegeta kicked him. 

Raditz returned the blow, knocking both their plates of dinner to the ground. Goku, lifting his above his head, just laughed at he watched. Somehow, something inside him told him that this was very right--this was how Saiyan childhood was meant to be. The older boys tussled, growling at one another, and snapping nasty remarks, but not quite meaning anything behind it. 

“Is everything okay over there?” Chichi called out, and Goku turned to see all the humans watching in mild horror. 

Goku just smiled, “Yeah, I think so!” Just as soon as he said so, the tumbling boy prince and Raditz crashed into him as well. Goku roared with laughter as he tried to trade blows as well, but suddenly he felt something hard thrown at them.

“Knock it off! Get off of Goku!” Bulma shouted, kicking into the pile of Saiyans. 

“It’s his fault! He shouldn’t have been--!” Vegeta started, but Bulma glared him down. 

Raditz snorted at the sight, and the fight commenced all over again, but with Bulma now yelling the whole time. It was funny, but Goku needed a small break, and easily slipped out from the group towards the mouth of the cave.

He wasn’t too worried about the boys. In fact, he was eager to get back into it--something in him itched to spar with the both of them, test his skill against theirs, and hopefully, grow stronger as a result. He hurried to the edge of the mountain path, prepared to do his business, gazing out at the view. It was really quite lovely here up in the mountains of the Ox Kingdom. Green trees swayed in the dark, hazy horizon, and somewhere down below he saw dancing lights flickering the ground--fireflies, to match with the increasing summer, despite the chill in the air. They almost looked like the stars had fallen down. Laughing, he looked up to see the stars as well, and try to see if they flickered just like the fireflies. 

He wasn’t sure what happened next.

 

The cave rumbled around them, and they all stopped, looking every which way, trying to decipher the cause. Raditz and Vegeta untangled themselves from one another, while Bulma and Yamcha both turned to Chichi, who just shrugged, “Sometimes there’s earthquakes, but never this high up… Could it be…” Her eyes went wide.

Krillin, meanwhile, could not find one of their own, “Where’s Goku? Goku?”

A roar echoed throughout the cavern halls, and Bulma’s heart sank. “Goku.” 

“Is it a full moon?” Raditz asked, rushing to the cave entrance, followed quickly by Bulma, Yamcha, Krillin, and Vegeta.

Chichi meanwhile, tried to get them to stop, “Wait, wait, if it’s an avalanche, we’re safest in here!” But her cries went unheard, and she raced to their side.

Outside, Goku’s beast self beat his massive paws against the side of the mountain, roaring in rage, fury, and confusion. The snow that had piled up high on the peak of the mountain was coming loose, racing to meet the giant creature that was their friend, and heading straight for the uncovered crew of adventurers.

“Avalanche!” Chichi cried, and dove back into the cave. Bulma, acting fast, uncapsuled a device that grew directly above them as it poofed into existence, and when the thunder of pounds and pounds of snow crashed above them, they stood stock still, hearing it drowning out even the sounds of their breathing, drowning out the sounds of Goku. In seconds, the snow stilled, freezing them to their core, but they were safe. 

Yamcha called back to Chichi, who slowly came to join them under the device. “What is this?” she asked, quietly, while Bulma helped Krillin and Raditz move it. 

If the situation weren’t so serious, Bulma might have blushed. “It’s a shield. I got tired of hiding behind random stuff.”

“Is he not trained?” Vegeta snapped. Yamcha and Chichi had begun to help the others dig out. 

“We don’t know what that means, and we don’t know how! None of us regularly do this, so it wasn’t something we were really equipped to handle!” Bulma started, and Yamcha took over for her, equally pissed. As a united front, they posed quite the domineering argument, “We’ve just been cutting it off!”

Vegeta did not say anything else to that, just snarling, and finally helping dig them all out from their snowy trap. 

Chichi was able to get her head out first, crawling on top of the snow pile, and looking out at the disaster around them. She gasped when she saw that the snow had barely stopped the beast, only pushing it down the mountain, where it tore through the forests with abandon. “What is that thing?” she cried, shivering. 

Krillin, then Yamcha met her as well, ready to fight. Bulma followed soon after, taking Chichi’s shoulders, “That’s right… You haven’t really seen this yet, huh?”

Raditz and Vegeta meanwhile, flew out like a bang, stopping dead in the air, surveying the destruction.

“I’ll turn?” Raditz asked, and Vegeta nodded. 

“I’ll subdue,” he answered, and strategy set, they zoomed off, away from the others. Bulma watched them go, fear and incredulity stopping her from thinking for a moment, but soon she assessed their plan as another roar broke out into the night, and a second beast joined the first.

“There’s two? Wha… Where are they coming from?”

“It’s… It’s hard to explain, Chichi, but this happens to Goku sometimes.”

“Goku?” she asked, half a wail, half a breath. 

“He can’t control it… I guess this is a Saiyan thing,” the larger of the two monsters had to be Raditz, and he immediately grasped Goku in his arms, putting them at a stand still. With the forest blocking their view, she couldn’t see Vegeta, but from what she knew of their troubles with this in the past, it might not be enough. They still needed some way to get Goku’s tail free, to cut it off, before he hurt anyone… What did she have in her capsules?

“We gotta help them,” Yamcha said darkly, and Krillin made a noise in the affirmative, even as fearful as it sounded. 

“We have to help Goku,” Chichi corrected, standing. 

“Chichi, can you run fast?” Bulma asked, picking out another capsule, popping it, and readying a newly arrived wire rope in her hands. Chichi saw the rope, and it clicked. She nodded eagerly.

“Bulma, let us do that,” Yamcha said quickly, and she just shook her head. 

“Help Vegeta and Raditz! You’re stronger, you can distract it too!” 

There was a moment’s hesitation, and then they were all off on their separate tasks. Chichi and Bulma held the wire rope between the two of them, lengthening it as they went. Krillin and Yamcha raced down to the forest, almost sliding on the snow. 

It had taken hours to climb as high as they’d been able, but with the avalanched snow, and its ice, the found themselves sliding to the forest floor once more. Raditz still had Goku’s hands in his, pinning him in place, but swiftly losing ground. Vegeta desperately shot energy at Goku, trying to help tire him out, but unable to get close enough to do what needed to be done. 

“Cut the tail! That’s the only way!” Yamcha shouted, leaping into the fray, and shooting beams as close as possible.

Vegeta grunted, seeming unwilling to do so. Krillin hopped onto a branch nearby, and fired off his own energy towards Goku’s tail, until Vegeta blocked it. “It just grows back!” Krillin complained. “But it’s the only way!”

A roar from Goku, and the tree Krillin had been in was crushed under his feet. Krillin leapt away, and Yamcha too was blown sideways by the gust of wind that followed. 

Below the fury from above, the girls raced towards Goku’s feet when they could. The gust swept them back, but Chichi regained ground fast. Bulma tried her best to keep up, but so long as someone got around the legs, that was all that mattered. She tried to tell Chichi that, but it was unneeded: Chichi looked like a woman with a mission, and like she’d definitely done this before, wild Princess and all that. She raced ahead, circling the giant logs of legs, motioning for Bulma to hold fast. Bulma realized quickly as the rope slid over her bandaged hands that she hadn’t necessarily thought this through, but Krillin was one step ahead. He landed, grabbing the wire rope with her, and holding fast as Chichi ran the loops. Yamcha shot out a couple more blasts of energy, and joined them as well, holding strong, as Chichi made her final loop. She turned with a huge grin, and two thumbs up, before swiftly dodging some flying hunks of ground that had been scooped her way.

Vegeta meanwhile, the last one in the air, decided to take the plunge, and attempted a slice of energy towards Goku’s tail. The kids below pulled the rope too soon, and Goku began to fall, regaining balance by whipping his tail right into Vegeta. Falling from the air, Bulma watched his descent, and let go, racing to catch him. A blast of energy from Goku reverberated the ground below, before Raditz grabbed his mouth and clamped as hard as he could, causing Bulma to bounce, grabbing Vegeta from the air, and both landing hard.

“Ooo, crap, are you okay?” she wheezed. His head whipped back towards the action, barely registering the winded girl above him.

Raditz pushed and pushed, and another quick pull of the rope from below, finally sent Goku toppling down--right towards Vegeta and Bulma. He grabbed her, rolling them to one side swiftly, as the great ape tumbled and crashed to the ground. Before any of them could blink, little Chichi, screaming at the top of her lungs, raced up Goku’s back, unsheathed a small sword, and in one, fell cut, freed Goku from his cursed tail. 

She hopped down as Goku transformed, naked and sound asleep, shivering in the cold of the air. Krillin raced over, taking off his coat to give to his friend, while Yamcha tended to Raditz, still a great beast, kneeling on the ground, trying to catch his breath. 

“You okay?” he called up, feeling a bit queasy still seeing the great ape so close up, but knowing it was Raditz, and he was in control, put him a little more at ease. Raditz, being older, had the height and pure brawn on his side, but Goku was an abnormally strong kid. His ape face was scratched up badly, and he seemed to have the wind knocked from him from his labored breathing. 

But the great ape face of Raditz looked down at Yamcha with a surprisingly shy smile despite the rows of sharp fanged teeth, “Yeah. It was a good scrap. Can’t wait for the moon to go away though, and there’s something wrong with my foot I can’t figure out.”

“Gross,” Yamcha said, teasing mildly, while he patted the hairy legs of his friend to help investigate.

Vegeta watched all this unfold, similarly winded. “Hey,” another breathless voice sounded, and he looked down and immediately scrambled away. 

“What are you--What?!” he shouted, looking at Bulma like she’d grown a second head. 

She shakily sat up and raised an eyebrow, “I rescued you! Or… We rescued each other? I dunno, Vegeta, are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” he snapped, getting up, and about to walk away, when he thought better of it. Instead, he turned stiffly, and offered his hand to help her up too, barking out his next question, “You?”

“I’m okay. I’m just worried about Goku,” she barely noticed, accepting his hand with no fanfare whatsoever. She dusted herself off, and jogged over to the sleeping boy’s side. Krillin and Chichi already were doting over him. “Is he okay?”

Vegeta watched her go to Goku’s side, fighting a troubling host of emotions. Whether it was adrenaline, or this new fixation he was desperate to fight, all of it came to a head seeing the three friends round the little body of Goku, tending to him, out of some sort of loyalty that he could not currently understand. 

“He’ll be fine,” Raditz said from above. “He’s just sleeping. He got the best of me, actually…”

“And guess what!” Yamcha said, laughing madly, “This was actually incredibly lucky!”

“How on earth was this lucky, Yamcha?” Bulma snapped. 

They all gasped in awe as Yamcha pulled out the six star dragonball, mad with laughter. “It was in Raditz’s toes! Somehow it must have fallen from the peak during the avalanche!”

Vegeta had never seen a great ape blush before. While the rest of them laugh, gleefully celebrating and bouncing about like fools around Raditz, he just watched, trying to make it make sense to what he knew, and why, of all things, he felt profoundly empty above all else. 

 

Elsewhere in the universe, another man felt empty, hanging up from a call with a superior. He’d made his excuses for them, that the system they were in was difficult to communicate with, and even so, they were attempting to check in when possible, and they were likely running the system clean. The chain of command was higher than he could go, and the demand from on high was clear.

Frieza wanted his play thing back. 

Nappa entered in the last coordinates he knew they had been at, and set the course. Halfway, he’d try to make contact again, but he knew already that their little childish attempts to dodge responsibility would be all that he heard from.

The peculiar emptiness of Nappa was related in many ways to the emptiness of Vegeta, but at its final crux. Nappa was a man who could not care anymore. He’d been trying his best to teach these boys how to survive now that the Saiyan Empire was gone. It had been gone, in reality, for quite some time, the moment that King Vegeta bent the knee to Frieza, instead of dying fighting. So that’s what Nappa learned too. Bend the knee. Succumb when you can. Resist all that was real and fiery in your blood, and do what you were told. The boys made that more and more difficult every day, Vegeta, the worse of the two of them, as he recalled the strength of his birth, and tested the waters of rebellion, against Frieza, against his superiors in this stupid pecking order, and worse of all, against Nappa, the only remaining Saiyan adult. The only person who wanted to see these two damn kids live. 

He’d try to reach them. But if he couldn’t find them, it was not his problem. In fact, it was their blessing. He hoped against hope that he had lost them for good. But he was too good at his job, and too afraid of death. And these problems, these conflicts, pitted themselves against one another until they were a dull, numb void. 

If he found them, he would give them back. He couldn’t even fight himself against it. It was simply what was going to be done.


	5. Facts and Figures

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a dinosaur interrupts a great deal of sulking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really loved writing the dinosaur bit.

They said their goodbyes to Chichi and the Ox King soon after that, Chichi remorseful that she had to hurt Goku, but he, as usual, paid it no mind. 

“So we can still get married one day?” She asked tearfully, and he had shrugged, with a great, big, laughing smile.

“Sure!” He barely knew what she was talking about, as they still did not explain to Goku what had happened on the mountain path. As was the usual policy for their group, Goku’s latent moonlit powers continued to be a secret they kept close to their hearts.

The problem was Vegeta, and that he wanted to tell Goku what happened at all.

“You can’t keep him in ignorance forever. That’s more dangerous than anything. It’s another tool in a Saiyan’s arsenal, and it can be trained like anything else! So let us train him!”

“You don’t understand, he doesn’t know anything about it! That’s how his grandfather died, was killed by him transforming! It would kill him to know that!” Bulma was wearing herself out arguing their point, but Yamcha was honestly starting to see the Saiyan’s reasoning.

“I mean… it might hurt him, but he’s a resilient kid. It might be better for him to know, so that it doesn’t ever happen again,” he offered quietly. Raditz nodded at him in support, but both Bulma and Vegeta’s reactions were overwhelmingly loud.

“See!” Vegeta said, victorious.

“But we can’t know that, Yamcha! The one person he loved most!”

“Sure, he’ll be sad, but we saw his grandpa recently with Fortune Teller Baba,” the Saiyans looked at him like he was crazy, but he pressed on. There was too much in that story to fully explain now. “So he knows there’s no hard feelings. It’s just life.”

“He’ll have to find out eventually,” Raditz finally piped up, rubbing his arms nervously. They’d patched him up this morning, as the transformation dissipated in the night. Yamcha had been surprised that the scratches Goku had left on Raditz’s face were still there, but they were easily stitched up with Bulma’s first aid kit. Despite the nervous fidgeting and sad look on his face, Yamcha couldn’t help but think that Raditz looked pretty cool. But now was not the time for that. “It’s not really a secret that you can keep. And wouldn’t it be better coming from his friends and having people around who could train him to not ever do that again?”

“You are all unbelievable,” Bulma seemed stuck, and he couldn’t figure her out. It was the right thing to do, by far, but maybe she was just so used to the way things had been that she didn’t want it to go. He tried to reach out to her, but she shrugged him off, crossing her arms and looking anywhere but at him. “Goku’s just a kid. A kid doesn’t need that kind of… that kind of heartbreak.”

“He’s a Saiyan. And no one gets the luxury of escaping heartbreak,” Vegeta said, much more calmly than anything Yamcha had ever heard him say. Yamcha turned to look at Raditz, see his reaction, and Raditz’s face matched Vegeta’s: calm, but worn down, stony, and dull. 

Bulma didn’t look back at them, her shoulders tensing and shaking. Yamcha tried once more, and this time, she let him put his arm around her, and even leaned into his touch. He smiled down at her, and she whispered, “Can I tell Goku then? At the right time? I think it’ll be worse if we all gang up on him.”

Raditz must have heard, as he spoke up, “I don’t want to intrude, but… If you do, could I help? I feel like…”

She turned and smiled at him, “It would be easier to hear from his brother too? Yeah. I think so too. But let’s wait until we’re out on the road again. I… I think that’ll work better.” 

Raditz nodded, and that was that. Bulma hugged her arms tightly around her again, and walked off without another word. Yamcha wanted to go after her, he did, but something in his gut told him she needed her space. Goku was like her little brother. She was hurting just at the thought of hurting him. 

“She’s too sentimental,” Vegeta grumbled. Yamcha wasn’t quite sure why he got to have an opinion at all, but worse, he sort of agreed.

“They’re close. She doesn’t want to hurt him,” he tried to explain, but Raditz cut in.

“Some people can’t help but actually feel what’s going on in their hearts, Vegeta. I know that’s not the Saiyan way, but we all feel things. Well, I guess except for you.”

Another fight was coming on, he could feel it. Both Saiyan boys’ energy steadily began to rise, and they were all about to leave. This couldn’t end well, and it wasn’t the time, “Guys, come on, you don’t want to fight.”

“No, no, I think Raditz does. Go on, spit it out! What’s making you cry this time, Raditz?” _What a stupid jerk_ , Yamcha thought, rushing to Raditz’s side as Vegeta stalked around him. “You’ve gotten awfully brave here on this planet, shirking honorifics, saying whatever's on your mind, so what’s stopping you now?” 

“How can you be so robotic?! How can you not feel what other people are feeling? I don’t understand you!” Yamcha grabbed Raditz’s arm and was surprised that he let him, allowed himself to be held back. His muscles relaxed and the tension in his shoulders, prepped for battle, disappeared. 

“Training, Raditz. I am an elite warrior, something you can never understand.”

“Who cares?! Who cares anymore about any of that, Vegeta?! They’re all dead! Every single person who could have given a shit about whether or not you and Nappa are elites is dead! Our whole world, our whole civilization, is dead and gone and all we have left is each other! Why can’t we fucking rely on each other then?” Raditz was shaking now. In truth, so was Yamcha. He didn’t know all this, and his grip on Raditz softened, until he turned the tall Saiyan towards him.

“Your… Your world was destroyed?” 

Raditz was crying, trying his best to screw up his face in such a way that the tears wouldn’t fall, but fall they did. “A meteor hit it. Destroyed everything. Our parents, our friends, everything we knew… and we were gone, working for…”

“Frieza. You can say his name. It doesn’t summon him,” Vegeta said, ice cold. 

“What happened to you guys,” Yamcha whispered, rubbing Raditz’s arms, trying to help him calm down, and really, not hoping for an answer.

“Nothing happened to him,” Vegeta said. “Our world just got destroyed, that’s all. Everyone died. We’re all that’s left.”

He would have launched himself straight at the Prince if not for Yamcha’s hold, which tightened, gently, but steadily. “See? What is that? How can you say that so… So empty like that? What’s wrong with you? Don’t you care about anything?”

“I do. And I’m going to get it, with my wish.”

“Revenge? What is that going to do for us? What does that give us? We could get our people back, Vegeta! We could wish them back!”

A planet full of Saiyans didn’t really sound like a good idea to Yamcha—his stomach fell like a rock at the thought. But then he tried to imagine Earth gone. He wasn’t sure which direction he’d actually go. Revenge or wishing them all back. But who was he getting revenge against? A rock? “Revenge against what?” He asked, feeling stupid for just saying it out loud at all.

But Vegeta didn’t answer. He did not tear his eyes away from Raditz for a moment. “Don’t take this from me, Raditz. I won’t hesitate to fight for this,” if his sharp features could get softer, for a moment, they almost did, “Be patient. After this wish… we’ll get another. And then, we can have our people back…”

Raditz shook all over, whether from anguish, rage, or a mix of the two. “I’m tired of you telling me how to feel and what to do, Vegeta. You aren’t a prince anymore. You’re a lackey trying to one up his boss.”

That felt like the start of a fight. It should have been the start of a fight. The waves of energy racing off of Vegeta stun Yamcha’s eyes, and pricked the skin, but no… With a boom, Vegeta flew off into the sky, until they couldn’t see him anymore.

“Uh…,” Yamcha was not sure what to do. “Is he… coming back?”

Raditz finally broke free from Yamcha’s hold, and all of a sudden, hugged him. He wasn’t sure how to react to that either, his heart leaping into his throat, and his whole body freezing from the surprise of it. But Raditz let go quickly, and sniff. “He’ll find us eventually. But who cares. Let’s go.”

Raditz walked off towards where Bulma had gone to join the others in prepping the car to leave. Yamcha just stood there, still frozen, still frightened, and confused more than anything. What had been all that talk? Where had it come from even? And why wouldn’t his heart stop beating so fast?

 

As they packed the car, Raditz took Bulma and Goku to the side to talk. He hadn’t warned her, but she seemed to sense from his weighed down shoulders, and heavily hung head that it was time. Whether or not she disapproved didn’t matter. Raditz wanted to get it out now, and he wanted to do right by her wish to be there too. 

Too much hurt too strongly to not talk to his brother. 

“Goku?” he said, the name still strange on his tongue. It felt like the name of a friend, not his brother, but the two separate forces were slowly coming together. Maybe that’s just how it had to be. “Uh… Well. We wanted to talk to you about yesterday, when you went to sleep.”

“That was pretty weird! I can’t believe I missed an avalanche and you all finding the dragonball!” Bulma took his hand, and Goku’s boundless joy stilled very suddenly. “Is everything okay?” he asked, looking between the two of them.

“Remember that big monkey monster, Goku? That your Grandpa told you to be careful of, during the full moon?”

“Uh-huh,” he said, watching with big, full eyes. Raditz wondered if this softness was from being raised here on earth, or if somewhere inside him, he too could be that gentle.

“It’s called an oozaru, or Great Ape form,” Raditz started and the pieces slowly fell into place.

The actual explanation was simple enough, and Goku, to his credit, understood quickly. Bulma held his hand the entire time, and for a bit, Goku sniffled quietly, but did not cry, or sob like they had feared. Instead, he sat, silent and absorbing what he could, asking questions when he could not. 

“I’m sorry, Grandpa,” he whispered, holding his little hand that was not being held by Bulma to his heart. “I didn’t know, and I didn’t mean to… But I am sorry.” He looked to Bulma next, his mouth pressed in a more serious line than Raditz had yet to see on him, “I’m sorry to you. To all of you, if I ever put you in danger.”

“Goku,” she sighed, and pulled him into a deep and long hug. “It’s like you said. You didn’t know, and you couldn’t control it. It’s not your fault.”

“I know,” again, Goku was a marvel to him. Something that would have torn Raditz from the inside out, Goku could brush off as if it were nothing. No, that wasn’t right. It gave no credit to what actual strength his brother possessed. No, no Goku could take the truth and simply understand it. He knew, without any woes or concern, precisely his place in the world, his actions, and how everything made some sort of beautiful sense. “I’m sad that it happened though. Really sad.” He sniffled again, but rubbed the tears away from his face with a new look of determination.

And finally, Goku looked to Raditz. “Will you train me so that I won’t do that anymore?”

It was an odd turn of events, one that happens almost with consistent regularity throughout the cosmos, when an older sibling looks to the younger, and sees a person whom they admire more than anyone else--a person they look up to, rather than the other way around. Raditz felt it then, a burst of pride and some new sense--something he could only describe as a homecoming. He smiled down at his little brother, clapped him on the shoulder, and nodded. “I would be proud to, Goku. I would be proud.”

Goku launched himself into Raditz’s arms, wrapping his smaller arms around his older brother’s shoulders, and squeezed, laughing brightly. “I think Grandpa would be so happy that I found you, Raditz! Thank you!” 

His throat was dry, and he might have been crying. Raditz was sure that if Vegeta saw, he’d mock him for this too, but he didn’t care what Vegeta thought anymore. This is what he wanted. This is what mattered. 

“I think Mom and Dad would be happy too,” he whispered, and hugged his brother back, hoping to make up for years and years of being lost. 

 

They were driving off to the next dragonball, which wouldn’t have been a problem for Krillin except that, against all odds, the stupid Saiyan brothers decided to drive with them instead of fly, and so, Krillin was relegated to the back back seat. 

Goku and Raditz sat in the middle seat ahead of him, laughing and chatting about lord knows what, but they were having a grand old time while Krillin grew increasingly more nauseous, dizzy, and irritable. Bulma and Yamcha even were having fun in the front, listening to music, chatting about nothing. And Krillin got to have no fun, in the back seat, by himself, like a baby.

It wasn’t fair. Goku and Krillin always sat next to each other. Why couldn’t Raditz sit in the back back seat? He wasn’t their friend yet, not really. _Oh, my legs are too long, I’m too tall, I wouldn’t fit_ , Krillin mocked in his head. _Stupid tall people being stupid and tall._ And Goku chose to sit with Raditz instead of Krillin! That had been the lowest blow of this whole charade. Goku never drove with them, and when he did, he ALWAYS sat with Krillin, and they’d play Rochambeau or talk about stupid things, like the latest moves Master Roshi taught, how to sneak away from Bulma and Yamcha once things got mushy again, what shape that cloud in the sky looked like, but no. Now, Goku talked with Raditz about even stupider things, like, what color was the Saiyan homeworld, did it have trees there, what were their parents like, do Saiyans have birthdays….

If Krillin really thought about it, it was actually pretty cool that Goku got to hang out with his older brother and learn about where they were from. Krillin was even pretty curious himself, and had a host of questions he wanted to ask like, did all Saiyans have blackish hair? Was the food good on their homeworld? How come they all had such goofy names? Were the girls pretty there, or scary like Bulma? Or worse, like Launch after she sneezed? But all the same, Krillin couldn’t help but feel slightly hurt. Something stuck in his heart, like a popcorn kernel in your tooth or a cactus needle in your finger. 

_Goku’s_ my _brother_ , he thought, snuggling into himself. They’d been training together for years now, adventuring and suffering all along the way together. Did all of their times together, staying up way passed their bedtimes to giggle at magazines they had snuck away from Roshi, trying to see how deep into the ocean they could dive before they drowned, climbing up to the roof of Kami House and stargazing, did all that mean nothing anymore now that Goku had a real brother?

In his heart, somewhere deep, deep down, where the rational sense of humans lives, hidden and unused, he knew that Goku would always be his brother. They would always be the very best of friends, and nothing would change that. But as is the way of humanity, and truthfully, all of sentient life throughout the cosmos, that little bit of rationality always was drowned out by the worst thoughts possible. It takes a pure heart to reach it, and not everyone can have that, like Goku. Most hearts are brittle, broken, and shaky. The heart of Krillin was one such thing, having been beaten and bruised by his village for so long, that all their jeers and cruelty started to sound like reason, and the little bursts of hope that occasionally lit through him were fragile, and easily subdued by any bad thought that crossed his path. And it would stew and stew, until he was nothing but a ball of bad energy. But just as easily as it was subdued, others could bring that light out as well, just as easily. I suspect that is why he and Goku are such good friends. But, unfortunately, Goku was busy, completely understandably. So Krillin sulked, alone in the back back seat, with anger and sadness clouding every good thought away.

 

Elsewhere, high above the clouds, watching and following the little car as it drove throughout the countryside, another heart was stewing in a cloud of anger and sadness so strong it threatened to choke the whole world. 

Vegeta did not have the luxury of feeling. When he let himself feel, he felt paralyzed with the weight of anger that coursed through his blood, the fear that drowned him every night in his nightmares, and the grief that would have been unbecoming for him to feel. Once, long ago, when Raditz and Vegeta were first told of the destruction of their planet, Raditz had looked frightened, but had taken his cue from Vegeta. Just as his father had taught him, he bore the news in stride, paying it absolutely no mind. It wasn’t until hours later, alone in the ship, that Nappa found the boy prince ripping the training room to shreds, trying to hide his tears in sweat instead. 

“Stop crying, Vegeta,” Nappa had said, and Vegeta had roared back.

“I am a Prince! Address me as such! I’m still a Prince!”

“You are, to us alone, but you can’t be anymore to everyone else. Frieza won’t let you,” the bigger man held the boy steady, but even at a young age, Vegeta was stronger, and tore into Nappa as well. Nappa just took every punch, speaking steadily when he could. “Do what you have to now, Vegeta, but don’t let them see you sweat. Don’t let them know this hurts you, or they will use it, again and again. You are the only one who can give them ammunition to cause you more pain. Don’t let them.”

“I want them to feel pain! I want Frieza to--”

Nappa had slapped him. “Don’t say stupid shit, boy. We’re all that’s left. The only revenge we have is to live. So man up, and stop it.”

But that didn’t stop anything. Vegeta learned the hard way to keep his fury close to his chest, with Frieza as his teacher. Unbeknownst to Raditz, the Prince bore the brunt of the remaining punishment Frieza wanted to inflict on the Saiyans. Nappa called it training. But they all knew what it really was.

Feelings were ammunition. But they were ammunition for Vegeta as well. The fear he felt, the rage that coursed through him, were all that carried him through the torture of working for Frieza. And these dragonballs could grant his wish, and he would destroy the little demon and all of that fear and rage would be worth it. Only then would he be able to even think about facing his father, his people again. Only when Frieza was dead by his own hand. He couldn’t even think of seeing them before then. 

He would not let Raditz stop him, no matter what.

 

The mountains gave way to hills and gave way to plains. Out this far into the middle of nowhere were a great many ravines and fjords as well, cutting through the grasslands with wide, raging rivers down below. The dragon radar blipped along, the sound gaining a slow, but steady momentum as they closed in closer and closer to the next dragonball.

“Whatcha think, Bulma? How much longer?” Yamcha asked through a yawn, having just woken up from a nap. 

“We’re almost there. Maybe 30 or so minutes away. It’s a little weird though. I can’t imagine the dragonball’s just out in the open like this,” she chewed her lip, glancing around at the scenery. They were right on the edge of one of the river ravines. It could be down there.

“Sometimes that happens though!” Goku added. “Maybe we’ll get lucky and we’ll see it right away!”

Still, she couldn’t quite shake the feeling. She put the car slowly to a stop, parked, and hopped out. Just as she got to the edge of the ravine to spy how hard it would be to get down there, a loud boom sounded behind her. She jumped, and an arm grabbed her shirt, pulling her back in. “Why’d you stop?” Vegeta said, gruffly, letting her go just as fast as he had grabbed her.

“Why’d you scare me like that, I could of died!” she snapped, first off. Where’d he get off rescuing her from himself. Once she realized he wouldn’t rise to that bait, she sighed overdramatically, and resumed looking down the ravine. “The radar says its about 30 minutes away, but I kind of have a feeling we’re on the wrong z-axis if you know what I mean.”

“What?” 

“I think it’s down there somewhere.”

“Oh.” He leaned over with her, while the others clambered out of the car and asked the same thing. She skipped her very cool math reference this time, and just explained her hunch.

“We could split up, have some folks look up here in the car, while the others go down there to check?” Yamcha suggested, looking warily between the two Saiyan boys. Something was going on there that Bulma was not aware of, but she knew Yamcha well enough to get the hint.

“That’s… A good idea,” she said, trying to think of the best way to split up. “We can’t really split the dragon radar though…”

“Sometimes the balls light up when they’re near each other!” Goku said, tugging on Vegeta’s shirt. “I think you have the three we’ve found already.”

He snarled down at Goku, but Bulma was faster than the ongoing fight, “Okay, cool, then Vegeta is the head of one team! The other team can have the dragon radar! Goku, you want it?”

“Sure!” he said, shrugging as she handed it to him. That erased the worry that giving it to Raditz would mean never getting it back, and also putting them all in danger. Not that she really was worried with Raditz, from what Goku told her, but they couldn’t be 100% sure. Not until it was all said and done. And likely, wherever Goku went, Raditz would want to follow. Right on cue, he announced it, glaring snidely at Vegeta.

“I’ll go with you, Goku. Do you want us up or down?”

“You’ll have the radar, so it’ll probably make more sense for you to stay up here. You don’t want to get too lost. There’s nothing around for miles.”

“I’ll stay with them too,” Yamcha announced, finishing off with a joking brag. “I got good eyes. Plus, I can drive the car!” She almost felt hurt, but she tried to push the feeling down. They were trying to stop a kid Saiyan melt down, not separating because he didn’t want to spend time with her. Still. 

“Okay then, great, um. I guess. Krillin and I will go down the ravine… With… Vegeta.” _Oh god_. This was working out terribly for her. Krillin too made a face, unhappy with his assignment, but this is what they were doing. This is how it was going to go. _Great._

“No thanks, you’ll slow me down,” Vegeta grumbled, and flew down all alone. 

“Vegeta!” she cried after him, and started racing down the cliffside, without thinking about if there actually was a good path. Damn it, she had thought this all through for once, and here he was going off like a madman. _Screw you, you stupid Prince_ , she thought, climbing down to a less steep incline.

Idly, she heard Krillin gulp and ask, “Can I just… Stay with you guys?” Before Yamcha told him off, and to go keep her safe. That was doubly annoying, but she poured all of her anger into hopping down from rock to rock. _Screw all of them_. She could do this!

The last rock she had to hop down happened to crumble beneath her, and she landed flat on her ass, but still she could do this!

“You okay, Bulma?” Krillin said, easily hopping over to her with a backflip and everything. _Show off._

“Yeah, yeah, I’m okay. Let’s catch up after that jerkwad,” she grumbled, dusting herself off. He must have realized that going too fast would not let the dragonballs do their thing and sense each other, as Vegeta was only a few yards away, shuffling along like he was on the way to detention. “What’s eating him, anyway?” she said aloud to no one in particular, not meaning for Krillin to answer, but answer he did.

“Beats me. Maybe he’s jealous.” 

That surprised her. “Of what?” 

Raditz was having an easier time hanging out with the rest of them, but she felt like she and Vegeta sort of kind of were something approximately like… Friendly? At least maybe 45% friendly. He was annoying, and always trying to get a rise out of her, but sometimes it was fun. And he was certainly the strongest next to Goku, so it couldn’t have been some sort of stupid boy macho thing. Unless, it was with Goku, but that was like being jealous of a computer or the sun. Goku was amazingly strong. That’s just how things were!

“Oh, loads of things. Raditz hanging out with Goku, us liking Raditz better, Yamcha and you, I dunno.”

“What?” she squeaked. Yamcha and her? That was just bizarre. What was there to be jealous of there? Unless somehow the Saiyans were desperate for girlfriends or boyfriends, and if that was the case, why didn’t they just date each other? No, no, they had bigger things on their minds than dating, that was just silly. She breathed a deep sigh, and shook her head, trying to keep focused on the task at hand instead of the weird jumpiness going through her. “You’re crazy, Krillin, that doesn’t make any sense.”

“I dunno, he keeps staring at you and trying to hang out with you,” Krillin shrugged. “I mean, he doesn’t really seem to want to hang out with anybody, but he keeps talking to you, so.”

“Just to bug me and tease me,” she didn’t like the way her stomach was feeling, and she suddenly felt very exposed. But they did talk about other stuff too. He’d asked her an awful lot about earth and her inventions. She figured that was just for his invasion plan. Or just his way of being friendly. It was friendly! She liked that it was friendly! 45% friendly from Vegeta was a good amount, no need to go higher or in any other directions! “What do you know about any of that stuff anyway, huh, Krillin?” She may have snapped. He glared back.

“I know a lot of things,” he said, nose in the air. She almost had to laugh. It was kind of the same as her move. 

“What, from Roshi’s magazines and videos?”

“NO!” he shouted, blushing bright red. “I just observe stuff, that’s all.”

“Observe where the dragonball is,” Bulma said, and Krillin snickered.

“That _sounded_ like Vegeta!”

She laughed too, and tried again, lowering her voice and putting in a few squeaks for good measure, “Observe wh _ere_ the dragonball is!” Good, this was much more her speed.

“You have no _Sai_ yan pride!” Krillin tried, squeaking his own dropping voice squeak. 

“Kakarot,” she said, and it was much too fun to say. “Ka _ka_ rot!”

“ _Ka_ karot!” 

“Kaka _rooooooot!_ ”

“Kaaaaakaaaaroooooot!” they giggled, saying it together, until suddenly, Vegeta was right in front of them, eye twitching.

“Are you both quite finished?” he snarled, and they both clapped their mouths shut, nodding rapidly. Vegeta held out one of the dragonballs to Bulma, trying to look bored. “We have three, and it's impractical to not use all of our resources. You both take this and look one way, and I’ll look the other.”

“Oh. Yeah, sure, that makes sense,” she said, taking it. He withdrew his hand quickly, as if she’d shocked him, and stomped off before setting back off into the air. A long, long pause filled the air between her and Krillin before she leaned down and hissed, “See?”

“See what?” Krillin just made a face at her, smug and knowing, as if there was anything to know. She fumed. 

“He doesn’t… He doesn’t want to hang out with me or anything, he couldn’t wait to get away from me!” She started stomping around the ravine, pointing the dragonball in every direction, careful to avoid cacti and brambles. That was the Vegeta she’d come to know these passed few days. Grouchy, touch-resistant, and giving her a hard time. That was a Vegeta she could understand. Krillin was seeing things that weren’t there, that was all.

“Maybe that’s what you saw,” Krillin said, his tone even, and deceptively diplomatic. 

“What’d you see then?” she snapped, pointing the ball in another direction Krillin indicated. They moved like that for awhile, with no luck, before Krillin spoke again.

“Well, first of all, we have three dragonballs and he doesn’t give me one, but he gives you one?” He gave her a pointed look, and she huffed. “And I think, and it could’ve just been the lighting, it could’ve just been the sun, I dunno, but I think, I saw,” he started, lengthening the pause between each could’ve and think obscenely long. He was enjoying this, giggling quietly to himself. He barely could keep up the anticipation, and Bulma was not having it. 

“Just say it!” she shouted, louder than she wanted, but she was tired and itchy and grumpy from the sun, the dust, and the flies all around them. _Why oh why did I think the ravine was a good idea of all things?_

“He blushed,” Krillin said, primly and with the hugest, sliest grin she’d ever seen. She kicked some dirt his way, and he just ran to dodge, giggling louder and louder still. 

“That’s stupid! Besides, what does it matter? It’s only natural, I’m a very pretty girl, I can’t blame anyone for… For… Being overwhelmed by my presence,” she wasn’t sure why this was bothering her so much. Plenty of folks had liked her before at school. She’d try to be flattered at the notion, even if it did subconsciously make her a bit nervous. She always told herself she was a beauty, and that men everywhere adored her, but the moment people made that known usually was… Less than stellar. Particularly gross, disgusting men like Roshi. But talking with Vegeta, even if he teased her and got on her nerves, was mostly nice. She liked that he asked her questions, and listened to her answers. She even liked getting on his nerves. It was fun to fluster him, just for the hell of it, instead of actually for any reason. He was fun. It almost felt like it would ruin it if he became like Yamcha, liking her, not taking her seriously, and never listening to her, not really. 

Not that Yamcha was bad. He was wonderful. She liked kissing him, being near him, and when they were friendly with one another, they really were friendly. But there were times where she had things to say, thoughts she was feeling, and instead of listening, she was overreacting. Instead of letting her take the lead, or following her plans, she was being stupid and reckless. Maybe she was those things, but sometimes her plans worked out! Or at least would if anyone listened. “Yamcha’s my boyfriend. He’s not a bad boyfriend,” she said, out loud, to herself, shoving the dragonball in different nooks and crannies. 

“Bulma?” Krillin said, but she was lost in thought.

Indeed, the dilemmas of a teen girl’s heart are all encompassing, requiring incredible amounts of time to be thought through--such is the age of all encompassing problems. There are no answers to be found whatsoever, and there is such sureness of self, when the self has not even begun to be settled. There are too many demands from outside of who one should be, and not a single sympathetic ear to let you air out all of your hopes of who you could be. You are multitudes, but contained tightly in a coat of single dimensional oneness of others’ first impressions. 

Do you like one boy and does he like you? Or do you like the other and does _he_ like you? 

Not that such a question is not equally as immense and important as all the others, on the contrary. It is simply that all of those questions are all wrapped up together into one mess of nerves, so scrambled together, that one particular teenage girl did not see the slobbering, starving massive tyrannosaurus rex behind her. 

“BULMA!” Krillin screamed, and finally, finally, did Bulma look up from the hole where she was sticking the dragonball. 

Yellow, reptilian eyes stared down at her, her reflection looking back in the shine of its slitted, black pupil. It’s breath, rancid from ages old meat stuck between knife like fangs the very size of her, frizzed her hair back into curly-qs, and melded horribly with the sweat on her brow. It almost laughed out its roar as she screamed. 

Jaws snapped near her, and she scrambled back, getting up into a full out sprint. “Krillin!!” she yelled, as she ran. He hopped up, shooting a blast of energy at the t-rex to try and scare it off, not stopping to see if it worked, just running, running, running beside her. 

The T-Rex would not give up its chase, shaking the ravine with its charge. A few feet away, Vegeta looked up, stunned from his search. 

“Run!” she and Krillin both yelled, trying to get him, at the very least, to get out of the way of their path, but just as they’d come to expect, he frowned, and jumped into flight, heading straight for the T-Rex. 

Vegeta was able to get the T-Rex’s attention focus on him, zipping this way and that around the beast’s jaws, shooting blast after blast at the creature’s head. Krillin hopped behind a rock, urging Bulma forward, but just as she was about to take shelter from the ongoing fight, the dragonball in her hand gleamed. She stopped short, looking all around, but finding nothing. She whirled back towards the fight, the T-Rex trying to use its massive clawed feet to smash Vegeta into the dusty river beds, only to see it there right beneath them. Stuck between two rocks in the river, like the sword in the goddamn stone, was the one star dragonball. 

“Crap,” she said, and ran back towards the fray. 

“Bulma! Bulma!” Krillin shouted after her, hopping out from behind the rock and running after her. 

But she was too focused. The T-Rex was right above the rocks, but Vegeta was keeping it well preoccupied. So, all she had to do was dodge right? Dodge blasts, dodge teeth, dodge tails, dodge feet, easy! She launched herself over one of the rocks, landing square in the water, which was deeper than she’d hoped. The difference in expected depth had her swaying, but she regained her balance, and trudged forward into the shallower waters beneath the T-Rex.

Just as she crossed over into the shaded area of their battle, a wayward claw sliced down in front of her, and Bulma threw herself to the ground, mud flying all around her. She hazarded a look up, only to see Vegeta wrestling inside the T-Rex’s mouth, fangs in his hands, and rage plastered on his face. _Imagine_ that _blushing_ , really, she was thinking that now? Pushing the thought away, she crawled, elbows to the ground, under the T-Rex, towards the two rocks. 

She grasped her hands around the small, smooth surface of the dragonball, and pulled with all her might, only to fall backwards, back into the water. “Damn it!” She kicked, struggling back up, only to narrowly avoid the T-Rex’s swinging tail. “Damn it, damn it!”

“Bulma!” Krillin called out to her, leaping under the T-Rex, and rushing to her side. “What are you doi--the dragonball!” 

“The dragonball! Help me get it out, it’s stuck!” she yelped, and the two of them jumped onto the stones, and tried their best to pull.

“Lay off, Raditz!” she heard Vegeta shout above them, as well as the accompanying voices of the others quickly joining the fray. “This is easy!”

“Doesn’t look like its that easy!” Yamcha shouted out, and she wanted to fume. 

“HELLOOOOO, the dragonball! ME! Krillin! We’re here too!” she yelled through gritted teeth, but the chaos around them drowned out her words to the fighters above. “Ugh, it’s not working, Krillin!”

“Hold on!” he said, bouncing back, and ducking as a stray blast flew underneath them. “I’ve got an idea!” He stood at the ready, palms together, and pulled back, and her face fell.

“Krillin, no, no, no!” she said, as he said the fateful phrase.

“Kamehameha!” he roared, and the blast blew apart the rocks, sending the dragonball flying straight into the gut of the T-Rex.

The dinosaur let out its own primal roar, flying up into the air, only to land back to the ground, shaking the earth below them, toppling Bulma and Krillin to the ground with it. The T-Rex turned its full attentions on the two of them, teeth bared in fury, but Bulma’s eyes were on the dragonball, now rolling passed the beast, just between its legs.

Krillin screamed, bouncing back into fighting position, while Bulma shot up, and raced towards the T-Rex. Vaguely, she thought she heard all of her little group shout out her name, but she was all business, nostrils flaring, a stitch in her side forming ( _when was the last time I’ve run this much? Do I need to work out?_ She thought, simultaneously vowing to never work out ever not once), and her legs pumping their way towards the slowly closing jaws around her. 

She dove into a slide she’d seen in ball games her mother watched ( _For the uniforms_ , she almost heard her mother giggle into a wine glass), grabbing the dragonball in one fell swoop, as the T-Rex, failing its attempt to nab her, somersaulted straight onto its back. 

She looked back, breathless and smiling at the poor thing wiggling its arms and legs in a desperate struggle to get back up. When she looked at the faces of all the boys as they ran and flew over to her, jaws slack and eyes wide in wonder, she couldn’t believe it. She did it.

 _I did it._

“I DID IT!” she leapt up, laughing uproariously, kicking and splashing in the shallow waters, wanting to make as much noise as possible because she had done it. 

Krillin laughed with her, rushing to her side to splash her teasingly, “Hey! I helped!”

“We did it!” she said, grabbing his hands, and she and Krillin danced in the waters, alternating between congratulating each other on their success. 

Vegeta landed nearby, just a bit too far away from where they were dancing, watching the display with incredulity and caution. But she let go of Krillin and grabbed his hands, dragging him towards the water. She was surprised he let her, but his wide eyes told the whole story. “You did it!” she shouted, still laughing and giggling as she spun him.

“You did it,” he said, flatly, and she spun him once, twice more, before letting him go, and grabbing for Yamcha too. 

She took a turn with each of them, until all of them, with the exception of Vegeta, who had the presence of mind to dodge her the second time she tried to grab him, were holding hands, splashing around in the water, congratulating each other on a job well done. 

After the energy died down a bit, Goku went to help the sorry T-Rex, which limped home, defeated and ashamed. Bulma walked over to Vegeta, who sat on a rock, deep in thought.

“You want these back, or should I put them in my bag?” she was still out of breath, but she held out the two dragonballs she had, trying to be friendly. He’d saved her, again, kind of, but more importantly, he’d let her spin him. That seemed like an olive branch to her, to say the least. He could have blasted her too.

He looked up at her, and she tried not to notice it in the setting sun, but his face did look a little pink. She bit her lip, trying to keep herself from noticing or thinking anything. Vegeta looked at himself, and then settled on her once again, and shrugged. “I… I don’t actually have a good way to keep them. I’ve just been connecting them to my belt and… I don’t think that will work the more we find…”

She tried not to, she really did, biting her lip a bit harder just to be sure, but she couldn’t help it. She beamed. “I can hold them,” she said, but just to be sure. “You can trust me.” 

She waited for him to nod before she put the dragonballs into her small bag, right alongside the capsule compact. He handed her the final one, the four star from when they had first met, and their hands brushed again. He flinched, but didn’t retract his hand like before. Instead, he just looked at it, as if it was something entirely new. His features softened, and for the first time since she’d met him, he actually looked as young as he was. 

It occurred to her that for all the questions he asked her, she didn’t get most of her questions answered. “Hey, Vegeta? Can I ask you something?”

He clenched his fist, and hid it quickly by crossing his arms, all his hard frowning features placed firmly back into place. “Hm?”

“What are you going to wish for?”

He didn’t say anything for a long time, and when he turned his head, she thought that might be the end of it. Bulma turned to go, but before she’d walked too far away, he answered, “I have to be stronger. The strongest fighter in the whole galaxy, invincible and immortal.”

There was a lot to process about that, but she thought she’d feel more afraid. Instead, she just felt very sad. She walked back over to him, and knelt in front of him. “I know you probably don’t want any advice on wishes…”

“Says the girl who's never made any?” he smirked--it was small, but it was almost like an invitation. Maybe, maybe Krillin was wrong. Vegeta just wasn’t used to friends, and the steadier their percentage climbed, the more unsure he was. She could definitely help with that. She even knew what that was kind of like. She smiled back, and hoped that it was something like an invitation too.

“...But I gotta say, it seems like the best strength is found in many strong warriors together, yeah?”

Immediately, she wished she could take it back. His face fell, and he looked away. “You don’t understand. None of you would.” Posture alone was enough to know, but his tone helped convey the finality of it. She sighed, and walked away. She’d pushed him enough for the day.

When she’d reached the rest of the group, setting up camp and dinner for the night, Yamcha stood and held her very tight. “You scared me, Bulma. Don’t get me wrong, it was awesome, but I was worried!” He felt warm, and safe, and for once, Bulma felt very sure of one thing. He was wonderful. 

She took his face in her hands, and kissed him, soft and chaste, but hoping to pour all the love, adoration, and peace she had felt when he held her into the kiss. It was very romantic, she was sure of that. When she pulled away, he had that beautiful, perfectly quintessential crooked Yamcha grin--goofy, sweet, and full of shyness. “What’s that for?” he said. 

“For worrying about me, and saying I was awesome,” she said. She wondered if she ever had really said to him before the good and the bad parts of their relationship. That might have been the first time. Was that something you were supposed to do? 

“Always, Bulma. Always,” if it was the first time, she was going to have to do it a bit more often. She liked it an awful lot.

 

That night, Bulma set about to scrambling another message out to the homeworld. She needed another set of random voice clips though, and had to enlist Vegeta and Raditz to help. They sat around the devices, going through the motions, when something crackled across the screens.

“Go,” Vegeta said, quietly to her. 

“But, the scramble--”

“Go,” Raditz said it with Vegeta this time. If they were in agreement, it was serious. She left them to their devices, literally and figuratively, and the two boys leaned in close to their scouters, their faces growing pale as the voice of Nappa came in, far too loud, and far too clear. 

“--Report. I repeat. Vegeta, Raditz. Report. I know it’s you. I can hear you.”

Quietly, Raditz fetched Bulma, and explained that they needed a stronger scramble. She arrived, and did what she could without saying a word, the air between the two Saiyan boys thick with anxious energy.

“Damn it,” they heard Nappa say, before the signal was lost, and they all quickly capsulized the devices once more.

“Is everything okay?” she asked, a quiver to her voice, but her eyes were steeled with concern. If he didn’t feel like throwing up, Raditz would have thought that was something he really admired about her. 

“We need to move faster,” Vegeta said.

“We need to lay low,” Raditz countered. 

“We really can’t do either. The next one is somewhere out in the ocean,” Bulma said, pulling out the dragon radar to show them.

“I think I know someone who can help with all of that,” Goku said, popping up behind her, and scaring her half to death. Raditz hoped against hope that he was right.


	6. A Survey on Beaches, Roofs, and Stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beach episode? Beach episode. (Kinda)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Previous chapters dealt with it a little, but Vegeta's time with Frieza's going to be talked about more in this chapter. Not too, too much, but just a warning if you'd prefer to not read things like that! This is also a pretty Vegeta focused chapter too, so sorry that he's hogging the spotlight, it just worked out that way!

A week and one surprisingly fast regrown tail later, they’d found their way to Kame House.

Master Roshi had said that Goku was officially done with his training, but he never said anything about bringing more pupils. Krillin still taught under him, and Yamcha had recently joined up himself as a student of the Turtle Hermit. 

Vegeta and Raditz were far less eager to join those ranks as well.

But Goku was so thrilled!

“Look, it’s just until you guys are all trained. We’ll go grab the Dragonball, and be right back before you know it! Then you guys will know how to suppress your ki and how to sense others and Goku—.” Bulma started, but stopped, knowing that Goku was too excited to say it himself, bouncing as he was beside her.

“I’ll learn how to control the oozaru!”

Raditz had promised on the way here. There wasn’t a full moon any time soon, and he had sheepishly admitted that at their current power levels, neither he nor Vegeta were strong enough to make an artificial one, but he had explained that much of the training was done out of the form anyway. Goku was ecstatic. His own brother was going to train him! He couldn’t believe how lucky he was!

Roshi had been notably a little less excited by this surprise drop in.

“You know, when you said you were coming over, Bulma, I sort of, kind of…” he had started, and Goku was ready for Bulma to give him the full force of her mind.

But Vegeta had narrowed his eyes, and said, low and dangerous, “What? What _were_ you hoping for, Old Man?”

He’d never seen Roshi’s face go so white. He’d never seen Bulma that stunned either. She quietly watched Vegeta as they made all their goodbyes, and Yamcha, Puar, Bulma, and Krillin all went into the submarine to hunt the Dragonball.

And so, the three Saiyan boys were left with Roshi. And silly Master Roshi, he was already sweating. 

“So you want to master ki, huh?” He said, shakily. “You guys certainly have power down, but you’re wasting an awful lot of time just letting it out in the air like that.”

Vegeta snarled, but Raditz tried to contain the situation, nodding, “Yes. It’s not really in our training regimen to suppress our energy.”

“It’s used to keep track of us,” Vegeta said, interrupting. “We don’t want that to happen anymore.”

Roshi gulped. “Well, lucky for you, suppressing it’s a lot easier than building it up. Same goes for sensing. You just have to be open and calm.”

Raditz snorted at that. Goku in response, giggled too, not having the same presence of mind to not look directly at Vegeta. “That might be tough for you, Vegeta!”

His mood soured even more, but he kept his mouth shut. It seemed he was excited in his own way for this training, and wouldn’t let anybody stop him. _That’s good!_ Goku thought. 

“What should I do while you guys get started, Raditz?” He said, still bouncing. 

“Well, open and calm is a good place to start for that too, actually. You just have to learn how to center yourself among chaos.”

“Well, Launch is cleaning today,” Roshi grumbled. “Go inside for that.”

“Uh, yes, go inside, and try to clear your mind completely, okay, Goku?”

“Okay!” he bounced, dashing for the door of Kame house like it was his birthday.

“I don’t know if his brain can get any emptier,” Vegeta said just before Goku closed the door. He laughed, knowing that the other Saiyan was just nervous. Master Roshi’s training was going to kick their butts!

Inside, Launch was in fact cleaning, wearing a little mask to help prevent the dust getting into her nose. He remembered from living with them that cleaning day was always a roll of the dice, a game of chance every second. Even with the mask, Blonde Launch could emerge and wreck holy terror on the lot of them in an instant. That probably would be really good chaos to train in.

“Hiya, Launch!” He said, settling down on a cushion on the floor. “Do you mind if I try to meditate here?”

“Oh, hi, Goku! Long time no see! Of course, of course, I’ve already got the floor in there. Will it bother you if I dust though? Do you want a snack?”

“Nope and no thank you!” He said, grinning wildly. _Oh good! And she’ll be dusting! This is sure to get very chaotic!_

As expected, by the time cleaning had ended, Launch had transformed at least six times. Her current black haired form was trying to patch up the bullet holes made in a perfect circle around Goku, who still sat with complete and total serenity.

That is, until his stomach growled. 

He finally opened his eyes, and looked down whimpering at his belly. “It’s so hard to concentrate on nothing when you are concentrating on how hungry you are.”

“Well, it’s about lunch time,” Launch said, sitting back from her spackling. “You want me to make you something?”

He glanced outside at the older two Saiyan boys, still sitting in concentration, focused completely on their task. His heart sank when he turned back to Launch, “No thank you. I shouldn’t eat until my training is done. Not while the others still are training…”

“Well, let me go ask them, okay?” She smiled sweetly, and Goku couldn’t help it, his tail wagged so hopefully. He’d been trying to keep it wrapped around his waist, like Raditz did, but it wasn’t comfortable, and it wanted to do too many things to stay wrapped up.

Launch sauntered outside, putting a hand on an appreciative Master Roshi. Goku had to laugh when Roshi’s appreciation vanished under Vegeta’s steady, disapproving gaze. Maybe Roshi would be trained too by the end of this! It looked as though the boys were good to forego eating, but Roshi snapped at them, hitting both of them with his cane, and leading the way back inside.

“And you keep a tap on that energy, young man, what have we just spent the last three hours doing?” Roshi said to Vegeta, as they all piled into Kame House. 

“Three hours! Wow! I think I did it, Raditz, I was completely clear for three hours!” Goku said, leaping onto a chair at the dinner table eagerly.

“It’s probably going to take a little longer than that,” Raditz said, rubbing the back of his neck. “But it is a good start! Better than us,” he added the last part in a mumble, sneaking a nod Vegeta’s way. Goku tried to giggle as conspiratorially as possible, but Vegeta simply sulked into a chair, and glared ahead at nothing.

“How did it go?” Goku had to ask. Despite figuring the answer was bad for Vegeta, even Raditz looked sheepish.

“Your friends are two big show offs, Goku. It went terribly,” Roshi began passing out plates and cups as Launch heated up food. “I’ve never seen such arrogance in my life!”

“Our whole method of survival is our power level,” Vegeta grumbled at his side of the table. “We push ourselves to get stronger every day, and prove that we are fit to continue to be alive.”

“Or such budding evil,” Roshi added to himself, finally sitting by Goku. He leaned down to whisper, “Are you sure you want these two trained?”

“They’re okay. Raditz is my brother, and Vegeta… I think he’s alright, somehow. Or he could be.” That was the first time Goku had said it out loud, even though they whispered, but as the days went on, he was starting to feel it. The more Vegeta ran away from them, pulled away, and sat alone quietly, the more Goku could sense something was getting through his cold manner. A great change was happening in Vegeta. They just had to be patient. 

Roshi seemed to pick up on that as well, and nodded, resuming his conversation with everyone at the table. “Well, if your opponents underestimate you, you gain a level of surprise over them that makes you even more powerful. Plus, it stores up, saving a vast stronger sum of energy once you need to put it to use. So your showy power levels aren’t doing you much good, if you follow. So I expect a bit more openness and willingness to learn when we start again?”

Raditz blushed, and nodded. “Um, yes…”

Roshi raised a brow.

“Yes, Master Roshi.”

He nodded, and sent another pointed look Vegeta’s way.

Despite the scowl on his face, he seemed to be thinking deeply, fighting some inner war with himself as he stared Master Roshi down. Finally, as Launch put steaming bowls of rice down for everyone, he sighed, relenting. “I’ll succeed in this training, Roshi, but I won’t call you Master.”

Roshi shrugged. “Suit yourself. Just means I’m gonna make it harder for you! But after lunch and after my exercises.”

“What exercises?”

Goku knew, and giggled along with Roshi. 

After lunch, he kept true to his word. When Vegeta found out, the poor TV went flying all the way to the horizon. Training was much, much, MUCH harder on Vegeta after that.

 

It had been three days since they’d started training, and three days since they’d last heard from the humans. 

Raditz tried not to worry. They’d done this plenty of times before. True, they usually had Goku with them, but Krillin, and especially Yamcha, were capable warriors in their own right. If their assessment had been correct, the Dragonball was on one of the many small, uninhabited islands dotting the ocean surrounding Kame House. It was all just a matter of finding the right one. It was probably boring, uneventful work. So Raditz didn’t worry.

Vegeta on the other hand was more sullen and quietly furious than he had ever seen him. 

It didn’t help that Master Roshi was going much harder on him than on Raditz. He’d been surprised by the elderly human’s strength. Whenever Raditz managed to subdue his energy down another level, or sense something (usually Goku) far off, Roshi complimented him, and pushed him to go further. Whenever Vegeta managed to do the same, faster, and better, Roshi clocked him with his cane, demanding better. Somehow, no matter how often Vegeta dodged, Roshi still was able to hit him. 

He couldn’t quite understand it—Vegeta was getting the hang of both skills quite fast. Much faster than Raditz. That was always how it went with the two of them. So why was Roshi punishing Vegeta, and letting Raditz slide?

Today, Raditz had done well enough apparently to earn a break, and focus more on teaching Goku about his Great Ape form. The two of them sat on top of Kame House, meditating on the sound of the breeze and the waves, while Raditz went through the mantra that had been taught to him by his trainers (and much earlier, by their father.) “There is a rage inside you. Use it. Harness it. You are the master of yourself and you alone.”

Goku whispered along with him, “Use it. Harness it. I am the master of myself and I alone.” He opened his eyes wide, and sat straight up, “Raditz! Raditz I think I can feel it! The control! That was so amazing!”

He laughed, “Well, it’s actually not too much different from the training Roshi’s having us go through. It’s just about being in control of another part of yourself really.”

Goku experimentally waved his tail in complex shapes, settling on wrapping it around his waist. “It’s not uncomfortable anymore!”

“Yeah, and if I grabbed it, you likely wouldn’t be in as much pain anymore either.”

“That’s so cool!” Goku smiled at Raditz, but frowned down at his tail thoughtfully.

Raditz understood, and laughed again, “It’s okay. You don’t have to keep it wrapped up. I don’t think it suits you.”

His little brother sighed appreciatively, letting his tail loose and wild once more. “If it’s just like ki training, why is Vegeta having such a hard time? I feel like he’d be good at this stuff?”

That was a somewhat uncomfortable question. Raditz shifted, trying to look at anywhere else, but his eyes settled on Vegeta below, meditating in the water while Roshi continually hit him with his staff. “I… don’t know. He’s actually got it down pretty good. He learns stuff really fast. I wish I did, but I still have to work on sensing…”

“You’re doing great, Raditz!” Goku smiled. “And I know Vegeta’s good at it. He already has figured it out. I just can’t understand why he’s having such a hard time with training!”

“What?” This was news to Raditz. “What do you mean, he’s already figured it out?”

Goku shrugged. “I could kind of tell since you both came here that he was starting to get the hang of sensing energy. He seems to have been working on it at least, to the point where I think he doesn’t really need to train. Subduing his energy too, he was testing out at times, and I think if he wanted to, he could. I just don’t get why training is hard for him. He seems just… Against getting help. Why is that?”

Why indeed. Ever since the two of them had been taken up by the Frieza Force, Vegeta had special training time directly with Frieza. He supposed if he had to train with Frieza, he’d be a bit opposed to training as well. But Vegeta always trained, always with him and Nappa. It was a constant in their lives. He just seemed to prefer the exercise of it to the tutelage. 

Then again, Vegeta also never accepted help when he could avoid it. That was another constant. Nappa and Raditz would aid one another where they could, while Vegeta stood alone and separate, always. It made Raditz’s mood sour to think about.

“He’s just hopeless,” he spat, looking back at Goku finally. “Some people just want to be angry and suffer forever.”

Goku’s face fell, and he looked much younger than he actually was. “You think he wants to suffer forever?”

“Vegeta? Yeah. The only thing he is is anger. Without it, he’s nobody. I think that probably is too much to bear.” The mind of the adolescent often got to the heart and core of problems much faster than the minds of adults and the greatest philosophers. The problem, of course, was that despite coming to the right conclusion, Raditz was not yet old enough nor world weary enough to fully understand what it was he had just said. His empathy, though greater than that of Nappa and Vegeta, was still a growing and evolving thing. To the Raditz of now and this place, that sentence was a closed case file, understood completely and without need for further questioning. Later, perhaps, he or some other empathetic young person might open that door again, and wonder precisely if anger was enough to sustain a life. If the poor boy prince was destined to collapse on himself like a dying star if he kept anger such a close friend. If someone could teach him that in fact, he still existed, was someone who mattered, without his precious anger. But for now, Raditz was tired of the boy prince. And who could blame him?

Goku similarly wanted to open that door, wanted to puzzle out the mysteries therein, but he was still much too young to understand, and instead, it just made him very, very sad. “I hope he’s okay.”

“You don’t have to. He doesn’t care.” Raditz had long given up thinking Vegeta cared about anything.

“He seems…,” Goku started and Raditz interrupted him.

“Yeah, but he won’t tell us. He barely will tell himself what’s going on.”

“What do you mean?”

Raditz did chuckle at that. He may have stopped caring about whatever went on in the Saiyan prince’s head, but that didn’t stop Raditz from enjoying teasing him. “He’s just sad his little crush is gone.”

“What? Who?”

“Oh, he talks big talk, but he’s been wrapped up all over her since we got here and she yelled at him once. Typical Saiyan boy.”

Goku’s eyes went wide, “Bulma? Gross!”

Raditz started to laugh until Goku finished his sentence, “That’s like you with Yamcha, huh? Wrapped up? That’s a funny way to say it… Is that a Saiyan thing too?”

He gulped. He wasn’t really trying to keep it a secret, but still. “Goku! Goku, don’t tell anyone okay? Goku!” But his little brother laughed maniacally, and called for his nimbus. The two chased each other around Kame House the rest of the afternoon.

 

“Again,” Roshi said, thwacking him on the shoulder with his cane. 

_Let’s try that again, shall we, dear boy?_ Another voice called from his memory, voice lilted and full of venom. 

_Don’t let them see you sweat. It’s ammunition._

Vegeta had perfected this technique days ago. Even before they’d gotten to this horrible little island with this horrible little man. But he closed off his energy, and reached out his senses, and quieted all around him, except for the energies of those around him. “Besides us on the island,” he said with a measured calm he did not feel, “There are two sailors to the west of us, and a cruise ship to the east.”

“Good, but that’s not who I told you to find. Reach farther. Again,” Thwack. The first day, he’d tried dodging. The old man was surprisingly fast. Now he just took it, knowing it was endurance that the old man wanted to see, not speed.

 _Oh, you’re getting better at running away, aren’t you, Vegeta?_ In his mind, he remembered the feeling of being slammed into the wall by a choking white tail, his breath leaving him completely. 

_Further then._ “Passed the cruise ship to the east is a flock of your aircraft, doing training maneuvers. One pilot has crashed, so now they are training in safety precautions and rescuing him.”

“Why are you being so stubborn? I asked for one group, surely you can pick out one group out of many!” Thwack. “Is it that you don’t _want_ to find them, Vegeta? Or that you just don’t want to listen?” Thwack.

 _That’ll teach you to question my orders, Vegeta. You’re mine now. You follow me._

“Your ki is spiking, Vegeta. You don’t need it to sense others’,” the old man said, thwacking him again. _Don’t let them see you sweat._ His heart was pounding, his nerves were raw. 

He breathed out. _I’d like to see you cry, Vegeta. You’ve hardly mourned your father. Let’s see if I can make you._ No, no, he wouldn’t let the memory take him. He breathed in and out again, trying to focus. 

“Better,” Thwack. 

“Why do you have to hit me when I’ve done well?” _Don’t let them see you--shut it, Nappa._

“‘Cause you’re still not doing what I’ve asked you to. You’re all over the place. You have to focus, Vegeta. Focus on finding our group. I know you can sense large groups, I know you can sense one person, but you aren’t focusing on the one task I’ve set out for you. Why is that?”

“Should I answer, or are you going to hit me again?”

Thwack. “It’s a little bit fun, hehe.”

_This is punishment, you know. That’s all you need to understand. I am punishing you. I am punishing all Saiyans, through you. Never forget that._

“What’ll put your mind at ease, hm? That’ll help you do this. Forget all else, except something ah… Good. Peaceful. If you can, that is.” Thwack.

He didn’t have any memories like that. Not that he could recall. Stars swam into his mind at the word peaceful, but they were peaceful because they were cold, empty, nothing. Their shimmering in the darkness maybe had a bit of beauty to them. 

“Hey now, that’s good! Keep that up!”

No thwack. Alright. 

Stars. They looked different here on earth. He knew that each planet had a different configuration visible at different points on its globes, but still, the random arrays patterned themselves so nicely at every possible landing position, and every version of a night sky he had seen held something new to ponder and explore. He tried to remember what they had looked like at home on Planet Vegeta, but nothing quite came up. 

Home. That spiked too much. He could hear the staff being prepped to thwack again, so he tried a different pathway to peaceful. 

Cold. It had been cold on that mountain, as they walked side by side, talking about science and her world and everything in between. He wondered why she hadn’t needed to put her coat on, and he certainly wasn’t about to admit weakness and put on his own. But he had shivered, especially when he’d asked about her work, and her whole face lit up. Quite like a star, actually. 

He’d shivered again when their hands had brushed. He trusted her, perhaps naively. They’d only known each other for… What had it been? Less than a couple weeks now, surely. But she seemed to put some sort of faith into him that he couldn’t help but return. Even as they all flocked to Kakarot, and gave him something more than faith he couldn’t quite understand, and had never had, she at least seemed willing to extend that same feeling to him too. Whether it was earned. If he could ever earn it. Or be worthy of it...

He wasn’t going to do well dwelling on whose faith he was balancing precariously on his shoulders. The staff lifted again, and he tried another way.

He liked when she had grabbed him to spin together in the shallows of the ravine’s river. He liked when she flustered him, teased him, and he liked teasing her back. He’d not really gotten to think about it that far, but that was it, wasn’t it? Raditz’s jokes were true. He liked all of that, he liked her…

He swallowed very hard, and when he spoke, his voice was hoarse, “They’re on an island a few hundred miles away.” She was at least. He extended briefly to see where the other two were to confirm, but her energy was bright, warm, and shining just like a star. His heart was pounding fast, but somehow, he also felt at peace. 

“Well done, Vegeta!” the old man said, laughing haggardly. “You don’t deserve it, but I kinda wanna hit you again just for taking so long!”

“Are we done then?” he said, opening his eyes, and feeling that familiar queasy feeling that came with the girl. His insides felt like they were fluttering and spinning all around, and he was tired of both the training, and thinking of her. 

“Just a minute there, kiddo,” he hated the old man from the moment he met him, but especially hated the easy going manner in which he spoke. “I’m not always gonna be there to bully you into this stuff, so you better know what you used, and know it well. You have to search through your feelings, and understand them enough to let them go. I’m not so sure that you can.”

“Didn’t I just do everything you asked?” Vegeta stood now, tired of being made to feel lesser, when he’d proven time and time again he was anything but. His pulse raced as if he were in another room, in another place in the galaxy, being talked down to by his lessers who just so happened to be in control for now. 

“You did, and you did well. But you arrived at it through different means than you should have. That’s fine, but you have to understand your emotions will hold you back.”

“I know that. I’ve known it my whole life.”

“Do you?”

Hadn’t he been training himself to be distant and separate from everyone since before he could remember? Hadn’t he learned from youth to keep his cards close to his chest, to keep his heart free from weakness. Hadn’t he felt alone and empty for years and used that to his benefit? He was alone for a reason. “Yes,” he said, rage pooling through him. But he didn’t let it spike to his energy this time, no. Instead, he clenched his fists, as tight as he could. 

“You’re angry. You’re afraid. You can’t let those things own you.” The old man didn’t know his life. Despite his usefulness as a trainer, he knew nothing. 

“I was able to calm myself! To find peace, like you said!” He crossed his arms now, tensing every muscle instead of letting his energy out. He thought of stars, and it helped a little.

“In a manner of speaking, but I think you really just found another attachment, another emotion, to indulge in instead,” the old man winked. “That’s not really a problem, but it is a bit sloppy.”

“I am not sloppy,” Vegeta hissed. “You’re trying to get a rise out of me.”

“I am.”

“Another test then?” Too many people tried to provoke his anger, tried to get him to show his cards. He was proud of the fact that more often than not he did not fail. But then again… 

“Just seeing what you’re made of, kid. I don’t think you’re ever gonna be like Goku.”

“Why would I want to be like that idiotic peasant?” he shouted. _Damn it._ His energy flickered out of control, for just a moment.

Thwack.

“There it is.” The old man’s eyes twinkled behind the glasses, and he looked disappointed. Worse, he had the same look Vegeta had been seeing more and more in his dreams--a warrior, fabled on the homeworld, blonde and tall and strong, who looked down on him with pity. 

He couldn’t help it. Energy snarled alive around him, whipping through the waves, and crackling through the air, hitting everything it could, while he screamed, “Kakarot is nothing! I am the Prince of All Saiyans! I am their last and best hope! I have trained my whole life to be strong, precise, and superior to all else, and you have the audacity, the lack of foresight, to test me? To call me sloppy?! I have done everything you asked and perfected it, and I will not be beholden to anyone, much less you!”

“But you are, Vegeta. Who do you have to answer to?”

“No one! I answer to no one! Not Nappa, not Frieza, not you, no one is my master, except me!”

“That’s not what I’m seeing.”

He let himself fly off into the air, sensing Raditz and Kakarot coming closer, calling out his name, but he didn’t listen. He shouted into the air, letting shockwaves of energy shoot off from him like lightning, needing to hurt, needing to burst something into flame. “You don’t understand, no one understands! I, alone, know what has to be done!”

“What are we not understanding?” he wanted to be louder than the old man, to drown out his words, but he could still hear him. “I don’t have time to deal with teenage melodrama, so get to the point, kid.”

“Shut up! Shut up, shut up, shut up! I have to be strong, I have to be strong enough to make it right! To get revenge! To heal our pride!” That empty feeling seeing the rest of them all rush to Goku’s side, seeing them celebrate in the water together, came crashing in. It burned and ached. It matched the empty feeling he had when he’d heard of Planet Vegeta’s destruction. It had a name, and he could not let it be identified. If it was, he had failed.

Raditz’s voice came out clear now, even as his own energy drowned him, burning his skin, and tearing at his nails, his hair, his eyes. “Our pride? Vegeta…”

“Shut up! You can’t understand, no one understands, I have to, I have to do this first and foremost!”

“We can’t do it alone, Vegeta…”

_But I gotta say, it seems like the best strength is found in many strong warriors together, yeah?_

It didn’t count, it didn’t matter, how could they not see it? “ _I_ have to though! I can’t go home until I do! I can’t!” He was alone, he’d always be alone, that’s what being a Prince meant. He had surpassed his father in strength, he was the lone hope of his people, reduced to a plaything of Frieza’s, reduced to a sullen little boy who felt. Who felt...

The old man nodded, “What’s stopping you?”

“Stupid fools! I can’t face them! I can’t I was their Prince and I--I…” the fight never went out of him, never before, but the world in front of him was shaking, he felt his voice going raw. Still he pushed, pushed the limits of his power, trying to let it all go, all outside of himself--it was too hot, flaring up inside of him, desperate to crackle and thunder and shout to the heavens. “I failed them! And I won’t again, I can’t--I won’t!”

Helpless. He felt helpless.

“Vegeta!” Raditz shouted out, and spots, unlike those from his power, danced in front of his eyes. The crackle of his power died down, and everything felt soundless, like going down a hushed, long tunnel.

Vegeta fell, down to the water, and the world closed around him.

 

Later, he couldn’t be sure how much longer, he found himself in a bed, and every muscle in his body ached. He tried to turn his head, and though he could, the pain of it shot through him, and he winced. 

“Stupid,” a voice said, and his eyes focused onto Raditz. 

“You are,” Vegeta tried to say, his voice coming out much worse for wear. “What happened?”

“An old man pushed you to your limits emotionally, and you shut down like a faulty computer. Now you have a fever, which, I didn’t know could happen to you. How are you feeling?”

“Terrible. I don’t have a fever though,” he closed his eyes again, trying to catch his breath. It was a bit shallow, but he’d been through this before, after long training sessions alone, or with Frieza. He’d just go into a tank, and would be fixed right up. He supposed doing it naturally might take a bit longer. “Who said I did?”

Raditz rolled his eyes, and ran a hand through his hair, “Promise you won’t freak out if I tell you?”

“Who?” he snapped. That didn’t sound like a good answer.

“Bulma,” Raditz purred mockingly, but his face was serious. “I didn’t know that’s why you wanted revenge first.”

He reached out and easily sensed the return of the humans. The girl was rushing about inside the house, her energy full of nerves. He tried not to think too much about that. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“What you said, when Master Roshi pushed you. I just. I didn’t know, that’s all. That that was how you felt.”

Vegeta said nothing. He hated how little control he had displayed. He’d let the old man push him, and they all saw him sweat. Nappa would have thrown a fit. 

“Vegeta, we were seven years old. There’s nothing we could have done to stop him taking us. There’s nothing we could have done to stop him taking over Planet Vegeta, or the asteroid hitting it. It’s not anyone’s fault.”

“Leave me alone,” he didn’t want to hear it. He didn’t want to relive any of it. There was no purpose to this training except to humiliate him, and he didn’t need any more of it. “And don’t let anyone come in.”

Raditz nodded, hesitating only for a moment at the door before finally leaving Vegeta behind. Once alone, Vegeta pushed through the pain, sat up, and began training again. 

He had to get rid of the emptiness weighing him down somehow.

 

“You should come outside,” she said from the other side of the door. Vegeta was pointedly ignoring her. “It’s nice. We’re all taking a break, swimming. You know, before it gets too dark.”

It had been a couple hours, and the pain had subsided some, thanks to his training. He exercised, and meditated, trying to get at that emotionless state everyone wanted him to get to, when whatever he was doing had been working just fine. She had assaulted his door with banging about 45 minutes after Raditz had left, and refused to leave since then. It at least was something like an additional weight to work hard against. Maybe he’d stop feeling so queasy around her if he just trained himself not to. 

And despite having heard through the door Raditz tell her to let him be, that did not stop Bulma one bit. “I hear you doing something besides RESTING which would be the ONLY reason you wouldn’t come swimming with us, is that you were doing the SENSIBLE thing and RESTING, but obviously, if you’re up and about, you might as well leave right?”

He’d almost mastered whatever it was he needed to--a different sort of emptiness, he supposed it must be. Simply being devoid of emotion was what the old man wanted, right? It was what Nappa constantly suggested as well. He’d thought that he’d already felt that way, but today showed that his anger and his fear and every stupid little feeling coursing through him was far too much his master. So empty it would be. The thing he felt, the gnawing void of helplessness, had to be some sort of different sensation, so he danced around its edge trying to find numbness instead. He wondered idly if annoyed was the same as numb. 

“You know, you’d probably even feel better if you like. Talked to somebody. Like. Let them in a little, you know? Physically, let them in. To the room. So they could talk to you, face to face, instead of screeching and hurting their voice.”

“No one asked you to hurt your voice, you’re doing it to yourself,” he finally snapped. Somehow, though, no energy cracked. He was almost worried that it would. He must have been worn out. “I asked to be left alone, and I’m trying to meditate, so please, leave me alone.”

“Wow, please. That’s a very nice request, and I’d love, absolutely love, to fulfill it for you, but unfortunately, I can’t.”

“Why not?” 

“Because I’ve finally got you talking, and maybe if I keep talking I can help!”

“Why do you want to help?” he stood up, pacing to the door. “What do you think you could possibly do? What do you get out of helping me?”

There was a long pause. “Well, for one thing, you don’t destroy our planet.”

Somehow, he actually laughed. “I could change my mind, if you keep annoying me.”

“Oh shit! I guess I should only say complimentary things then while I bother you. Vegeta, you are very strong, and very scary.”

“You’re mocking me,” he leaned against the door, and sat back down. 

“No, no! I’m not! Honest!” she cleared her throat, “Let’s try another one. Vegeta, you are pretty clever, and very passionate.”

“Passionate isn’t a good thing according to your Master Roshi.” Hadn’t that been what had gotten him into trouble? Wasn’t that really what helplessness was? A passionate descent into admitting defeat? He couldn’t parse all these stupid emotional states out. They were questions he might never know the answers to. Knowing our own reality’s Vegeta, that wasn’t too bad an assessment, but he is always full of surprises.

“Screw that guy, I hate him,” she laughed. “Also, it was pretty cool you glaring at him all into submission. He’s always perving on me and Launch and it usually is a huge drag, but. You scaring him? That was pretty great, actually.”

He’d been doing so well, and here he was, back in the thick of it, his heart beating and his head light. He was about to speak, when she started up again. “Thank you, for that.”

He’d been able to complete all the tasks set out for him by all of his trainers by relying on his own methods. He’d even finished this old man’s tasks much faster, his own way. Perhaps it wasn’t so bad, to be passionate. To be full of feeling, rather than the void or numbness. “You’re welcome,” he said, softly. 

“Listen. I don’t know what’s going on with you, and I don’t know you that well, but. Those really are my first impressions of you. Clever, strong, passionate. Definitely scary too, but like, in a good way. It seems like you and Raditz have got things that are just… Way too big for kids our age to have to deal with going on. And I’m sorry. I know that doesn’t mean much coming from some… Mildly strange, but beautiful, charming, super intelligent girl you just met, but it’s the truth.” She was tapping on the ground, or something, an anxious little sound he could just barely hear through the door. 

He didn’t know what to say to any of that. It was more than he was ever used to hearing. But he wanted to say something, anything. “I’m not so sure about mildly strange,” it was something. And thankfully, she laughed. Vegeta was smiling too, pleased that he was behind a closed door, so that she couldn’t see how fully. 

“You wanna come outside?”

“I… Have a better idea, if you’re interested.” Inadvertently, he’d admitted he thought she was beautiful. Just as the answer had hit him in the face during training, it stared him down right now, like a beast full of fangs, demanding he flinch. And he wasn’t going to. He never flinched.

“Now hang on, I’m not that kind of girl!”

“No, no, just,” he opened the door, blushing fiercely, and refusing to look her in the eye. Okay, so maybe he flinched a little, but the idea was in his head now, and he wasn’t about to give it up. “Come on.”

 

Raditz had explained sitting on the roof of Kame House was the best view of stars he’d seen yet on earth. 

Turned out Raditz was right about something. 

He flew the two of them up, trying to still his beating heart as she clung to him, nervous at the height, but trusting him all the same. Why did she trust him? Why did he trust her? It was probably stupid. Likely stupid. But they sat on the roof, and watched as the sun set low, and the rest of their crew swam, laughing happily, and slowly, but surely, the stars came out. 

“Woah,” she said, as the whole sky lit up in starshine. He’d have to thank Raditz later. Perhaps for more than just this. But her whole face brightened in awe, staring up at the light above, it reflecting back in her eyes. Strange she certainly was, but absolutely, she was clever, fun, bull-headedly stubborn, and, Vegeta finally acknowledged, very beautiful.

He liked her very much.

She had been right about something too. Or at least helped him see the truth of the matter--he was never going to be someone who could turn off his emotions, as Raditz accused him of being. He would never be like Kakarot, purity shining through, emptiness of some sort achieved in a way Vegeta could not, and would not understand. Too much had happened to him, and too much had happened in his heart for him to ever have a chance at those things. But he could simply be himself--passionate, angry, and fearful, as damaging as all those things could be. But right now, heart pounding, stomach fluttering, and head light, all that dissipated gently with the breeze. _Screw Master Roshi._ This was as good as any way to find peace.


	7. Interviews with Related Parties on the Subjects and Things that Might Embarrass Them

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys live it up in the city.

The next day, Bulma scrambled the signal once more, until the Saiyans were satisfied that Nappa had lost track of them, and they were off, taking a boat to shore, and a car to the nearest city, where apparently, the next Dragonball was located. The Saiyans flew above them, minus Goku, who missed driving with the humans, and Raditz could not believe his ears as the two of them chatted like they always used to on missions. Somehow, things between him and Vegeta had healed overnight. Maybe they had even gotten better--from obligation to actual friendliness. He’d seen a new side of the prince, and the prince was open to communicating for once, and they actually were communicating. It was actually kind of nice. If Vegeta wasn’t in a full blown panic.

“This is stupid, I hate this, Raditz, I hate it, I can’t believe I’ve let my guard down in such a serious way, this absolute foolishness,” he hadn’t really even stopped to take a breath once they had flown up into the sky. Perhaps this is what had mended their years long strange relationship. Seeing Vegeta act like a normal lovesick boy? As the kids say in our reality: relatable. 

Instead of mincing up human lingo, Raditz just laughed. “Not to diminish your suffering, Vegeta, but all of this is actually pretty normal?”

Vegeta just gave him a look that said all Raditz needed to know about what he thought about that: _For you maybe, you weirdo._ He chuckled to himself, rolling his eyes. _If only you knew how much of a weirdo_ you _actually were._

“Look, all I’m saying is, crushes happen. They aren’t really all that serious, just something fun to pass the time! You don’t even have to do anything about it, you can just,” he shrugged, trying to find the right words. “Feel nice about the feelings and keep the fantasy of it to yourself?”

“These feelings do not feel nice. Wait, is this how you feel all the time? Maybe I haven’t been giving you enough credit,” Vegeta looked sick. It made Raditz feel just oh so much better about the dig. Finally, he was superior at something to this brat.

“You absolutely haven’t been giving me enough credit, no. But also, no, I don’t have a crush all the time! Just sometimes.”

“It feels like all the time. What about Zarbon?”

“That’s—! That was when I was younger, okay?”

“Or that moth-looking lyre player on that one planet? What was it called?”

“That was a year ago!”

“Or a month ago, that pink guy? Or was he purple. Were there two separate guys, one pink and one purple?”

“Vegeta!” Raditz snapped, “I am trying to help you through this and I will not if you keep antagonizing me!”

“And oh yeah! That stupid, shaggy haired boy here!”

Raditz’s heart clenched up. “Goku knew too… it’s not… that obvious is it?”

Vegeta shrugged. “I know you, so I know the signs. You certainly make an effort to spend a lot of time with him, but he does the same to you, so.”

That was news to Raditz. “You… you think he likes me back? But he’s with Bulma.”

Vegeta’s face soured. “I know.” But he shook it off, just as quickly. “I think he probably has some sort of attraction to you, but just doesn’t know it yet. He’s not very smart. He keeps letting me be around his woman without any kind of complaint.”

“First of all, that’s because he doesn’t see you as any kind of threat,” Raditz couldn’t help saying it. It was a pure kind of delight so rarely found to see Vegeta turn bright red and flare up in anger and fluster. “Second of all, don’t call her his woman or woman or girl.”

Vegeta frowned. “Why?”

“I know that’s how Nappa talks, and he’s an elite Saiyan, but Nappa has a history of being just abysmally the worst about these sorts of things. My father told me. So anything you’ve ever learned from him about this subject, just jettison it from your mind,” he paused, and added, “I suppose he’s like our Master Roshi.”

The face Vegeta made, eyes wide with horror and nose scrunched up like he had just smelled something horrible told Raditz that he didn’t need more convincing. 

“Third of all, as cute as he is, Yamcha has no say over anything Bulma does. She’s her own person. She’s choosing to be around you just as much as you are choosing to be around her.” It was not really much, but he meant it as a sort of gift, since Vegeta had just told him much the same about Yamcha. Vegeta did not look at him, or really, at much of anything, just trying to absorb that information as deeply as possible. He opened his mouth to ask the obvious, and Raditz answered before he could say a word, “No, I don’t know if that means she likes you like that or not. At least, not yet.”

“What are you saying? Do you have some sort of strategy for breaking the two of them up for our purposes?” Even if on the island he’d somehow come to some deeper emotional understanding—or at least started to—he still was Vegeta, and he still thought in the worst terms imaginable.

Raditz sighed. “No! Like I said, it’s just nice to like someone from afar! I don’t want to break them up, it’s just… A nice feeling to think someone is good looking, and to like being with them, and to think about what could be! It doesn’t have to become anything! Besides, we’re not here forever.” That had been something Raditz kept at the forefront of his mind in every interaction with Yamcha yet: this wasn’t forever. It wasn’t even for a very long while. It was nice while it lasted, but it could never be anything more. 

There was a long pause as Vegeta processed this. “That’s stupid.”

“Oooh, so _you_ want to break them up and be with Bulma forever and ever?”

“No! I didn’t say that’s what I wanted I just said that that’s stupid! Don’t put words in my mouth!”

“But I bet you’d like to put words in her mouth,” Raditz laughed. It didn’t mean anything, but it was fun.

Vegeta crashed into him, Raditz still laughing. “Don’t be vulgar!”

“You want to wrap her up in your arms, you want to kiss her, you want your tail all over her! Oh Vegeta!” he never felt brave enough to really tease Vegeta this much before. And despite shoving him, and hitting him, Vegeta wasn’t angry. He could sense his energy was not the usual frightful flurry of death and doom, no. He was just a flustered, embarrassed teen, just like him. 

It was fun. Really fun. Like when they sparred, but better. 

He couldn’t believe he was actually have real fun with _Vegeta. Weird._

Raditz’s laugh filled the air around them, and he finally managed to push the shorter Saiyan away. “You’re better like this.”

“What?” he asked, incredulously.

“It’s just, it’s nice to see this side of you. A less robot side of you.”

The prince looked away, almost disappointed. “It’s… Not becoming of our stations.”

“Don’t start with that. I meant what I said the other day. I know it matters to you… that you feel responsible for what happened, and getting our pride back,” Raditz paused, and coughed, feeling uncharacteristically embarrassed about sharing his feelings. But it was with Vegeta, and for once, he wasn’t yelling at him. “For what it’s worth, even if you don’t believe me, I understand. I feel that too. Maybe not as strongly or intensely as you, but…” he tried to laugh again, and smiled at Vegeta, “I’m not sure _anyone_ could feel anything as intensely as you do.”

The two flew side by side in silence for awhile, the sunny breeze racing through their hair, and the cool condensation of the clouds around them lightly tickling their faces. 

They were never quite friends, always just two lost kids thrown together by circumstances, and in their best moments they could be companionable. This was just a little bit better than that. Almost, but not quite, and Raditz, for the first time in his life, really thought that maybe they could eventually be friends. Real friends, like the kids here on earth. The thought plastered a smile on his face that he couldn’t quite shake away. 

Vegeta spoke up after a long while. “I like it too,” and that was where he left it at. Raditz couldn’t help but continue to smile the whole rest of the way to West City.

 

It was good to be back in the city. Everything about it was shiny, exciting, and most importantly: restful. Sure, crazy stuff happened to them wherever they went, but nothing was quite as relaxing to Krillin as the guarantee of great quality food, a big soft bed, and the expected monotony to be found at Capsule Corps.

They arrived with little to no fanfare. It seemed almost like Bulma wanted to be able to sneak in, quietly, and without anyone noticing. But about halfway up the stairs, Bulma’s mother stepped out from the main jungle-like garden of the compound, and spotted them.

“Bulma, sweetie, it’s nice to see you! I didn’t know you were stopping by for a visit! And you’ve brought familiar friends and some new faces, hi!” 

Krillin almost, almost wanted to terrorize the Saiyans and tell them to run, but Panchy did most of the work for him. Raditz has been caught, and Panchy’s traditional eternal handshake was threatening to turn itself into her next move, lung crushing hug, as Bulma shyly and grouchily introduced them. 

“Uh, yeah that’s Raditz that you’re crushing to death, Mom, and that’s Vegeta, and we’ve got some important work that we have to do, so if you could just…” Bulma’s attempts to unleash Raditz were quashed. Panchy rolled right over them with her eternal wellspring of kindness and hospitality. 

“You guys are all just a mess! Are you hungry? I can go get something started, but you boys should all go get cleaned up, I’m sure we have some extra clothes around here somewhere!”

“Clothes?” Krillin swore he heard Vegeta hiss under his breath, but Bulma just yanked her mother away from Raditz and nodded like her neck was broken—super fast and in super long arcs.

“Yeah, yeah, okay, Mom, thank you so much, we’ll get right on that, thank you, Uh huh, sure, Mom, awesome, we’ll just be up stairs thank you, BYE!!!”

Bulma pushed them all upstairs, Yamcha waving a weak-willed hello to Panchy before the whole group disappeared into the second story of Capsule Corp.

Krillin raised an eyebrow, “You know, I wouldn’t mind getting cleaned up and wearing some clean clothes.”

Bulma glared at him, “You do stink, so that makes sense.”

“We don’t have time for that, we’re already behind schedule as it is! The Dragonball—.” Vegeta deflated as Bulma glared at him next. It really was a sight to behold. Krillin shared a look with Goku and the two boys giggled.

“The Dragonball can wait, I guess. We’ve been traveling awhile now, and we could use a little pick me up at least…” Bulma started, half mumbling under her breath.

“Plus _you_ want to shower and put on new clothes,” Krillin said, and she snapped.

“Shut up, Krillin! Ugh!” It was too easy. “You all know where everything is, show the two Saiyans before they stink the whole place up!” She stomped away, seething. That should at least get them some more relaxation time until they were finished with lunch. And Bulma’s mom was just the best cook.

“Do we… stink?” Raditz was blushing, looking down at himself. The two alien boys had been wearing the exact same thing since they had met them, and as far as Krillin knew, did not take the time to utilize the showers at the capsule house, Kame house, or even any obliging rivers or lakes they had passed along the way. Neither, really, had Krillin, Yamcha, or Goku, except on the rare occasion they really felt like it, which to Krillin seemed as though it really was only him who ever did feel like it. So yeah. They stank to high heaven.

But Krillin also had the presence of mind to not want to die, so he simply shrugged, and made his way to one of the many designated guest rooms in the compound. Yamcha explained as they went, “Bulma’s family is uh… kind of a big deal. You can each have your own room here if we need to stay overnight. Or at least I’m sure you can. We never really ask, Bulma just sorta shrugs at us and let’s us do whatever we want.”

“Very lazy fairy,” Krillin nodded, feeling very smart. Bulma had said that once, and he’d been trying to adopt it into his lingo too. Goku looked at him with wide eyes.

“What does that mean?”

Krillin didn’t really know, but context was king, “It means ‘Do whatever you want, Krillin, I don’t care, I’ve got to work on machines and read magazines!’” He pulled out his top notch Bulma impression, and Goku fell back onto the floor in mad laughter, while Yamcha blushed and chuckled gently.

“Well, kinda yeah…”

“Why is her family such a big deal?” Vegeta asked as they found a few rooms all gathered together, and each claimed their own. “I know they’re scientists, but,” he gestured to the whole house and pulled a face. Yamcha giggled again, uncomfortable.

“Her dad invented capsules. Bulma helps with the inventions, I think, has a few of her own, but uh… they are probably like. The richest people on earth? I dunno,” Yamcha shrugged, heading into his room to get cleaned up. 

The two Saiyans looked at one another in complete disbelief. Krillin nodded at them, with a great deal of wisdom if he did say so for himself, “She may be hard to handle, reckless, bossy, and kinda super mean at times, but our Bulma is a certified genius, you know!”

Goku stopped laughing, sitting up, “I bet she could build a spaceship for you guys! Or new armor! She’s always giving me new clothes, but I like my uniform.”

“I mean, she’s pretty handy with machines, we knew that, but… She can’t build a spaceship, can she?” Raditz didn’t look disbelieving, just overwhelmed. 

 

Krillin and Goku both shrugged, heading to a room to share (Goku still wanted to share with him! Krillin was thrilled). “Probably. Despite all the grief we give her, she _is_ amazing,” Krillin said with a wink. “Just ask her!”

About half an hour later, Krillin and Goku were set, playing happily with the dinosaurs in the capsule compound garden while they waited for the others, and lunch. 

Krillin had decided to put on something a little more stylish than their uniform, while still having the uniform on in some way—just a cool jacket on over it, and a hat he spent a few minutes in front of the mirror picking out, and a few extra minutes writing his name on in big chunky letters. Goku, of course, stayed the same, having put on the extra uniform Bulma kept at her house for him, knowing he wouldn’t change. Goku never really seemed to change. It got Krillin thinking, watching the other boy hang from a tree with his tail.

Goku was done with his training at Kame House. And maybe there were more trainers on earth, more things to learn and explore, but… Whose to say that that would keep him here?

“Hey, Goku. Now that you got a brother and all,” Krillin started, suddenly feeling very small, and very awkward. The hat covered his eyes too much, and itched the back of his skull. Maybe it hadn’t been such a cool idea. He took it off, putting it on a roving stegosaurus that passed. “What do you think you’re gonna do after we find the Dragonballs?”

“I dunno,” Goku said. It figured he didn’t, but still, something bugged at Krillin to keep asking.

“Well, what are the other Saiyan boys gonna do?”

Goku paused awhile, swinging onto the branch fully so that he could sit and swing his legs down in thought. “I dunno that either.”

“Are they… I dunno. Gonna go be with the other Saiyans?”

“There aren’t any. Raditz told me,” Goku looked faraway then. Not quite sad, and definitely not happy, just… contemplative. Not really a word Krillin was used to associating with Goku. It made his heart hurt in sympathy. 

“Is… is that what they’re gonna wish for?”

“It’s a secret, Krillin,” Goku said, but he smiled. Krillin figured he’d figured it out, but respected the secret, and nodded.

“Do you… Do you wanna go with them, after this? Wherever they go? Like… to outer space and stuff?” He wanted to know the answer, he needed to know. Something like a goodbye felt awfully close to Krillin, and if he was honest, he was nowhere near ready for that. Goku was his brother. His best friend. He’d support him, and love him all the same, but… 

The world was definitely going to feel emptied without Goku.

Goku kept kicking his feet, still thinking very deeply about something. He petted the head of a pteranodon that flew and landed near him, until it flew off again. “I want to still see Raditz now and then,” he said, softly. “I want to still be his brother. But… I don’t want to leave earth.” He looked at Krillin with big, sad eyes. “It’s my home!”

Krillin nodded. “Maybe they want to live here now? Or they’ll visit!”

He tried to imagine Vegeta and Raditz living permanently on earth, at Kame House (Roshi would hit Vegeta and suddenly the house would be aflame), at Capsule Corp (Bulma would do some crazy alien experiments on them maybe. Or worse, kiss them both. Ugh), at some distant, far away little cottage (he tried to picture Raditz chopping wood and Vegeta cooking dinner in an apron—it was hilarious, and definitely a happy thought to save for later, but no, no, not possible). Goku seemed to have agreed silently with that assessment. The two Saiyan boys likely would want to go wherever home was, if they had a home. If not. Well. He really couldn’t imagine what they’d do. 

But Goku would stay. “I hope they visit,” he added, hoping that that would settle any doubts or fears Goku had on the matter. It seemed to. Goku laughed, pleasantly, and hopped out of the tree.

“Boys, you ready for lunch?” Panchy called, and Krillin raised his eyebrows at Goku, who beamed.

The two raced each other to the kitchens, without a care in the world.

 

“Bulma? Uh, your mom said lunch is ready, if you want?” Yamcha called to her from the other side of her bedroom door. She’d locked herself in. Usually, that meant she was mad about something, and since that very likely could be him, he tried to stay out of it and on her good side. But he’d been sent, after getting cleaned up himself, to fetch her, so he had to brave at least a knock.

“I’m not hungry,” she said, sounding like her mouth was full. That was not unlikely, as he knew for a fact she had a mini fridge under her bed for late night snacks, and moments like these, when she locked herself in and refused to come out.

“Uh, okay, but, don’t you want to hang out with us? Figure out… where the Dragonball might be?”

She slid the dragon radar under the door. That was a surprise. He picked it up and waited for an explanation. When one didn’t come, he ventured knocking again, “Are you sure, Bulma? It’s just in the city, it’s not like it’ll be dangerous or anything! We could go to the amusement park after!”

“I’m not scared! I’m busy, Yamcha!” She sounded scared. He wasn’t quite sure what that was about, but he swallowed, and tried a different approach.

“I’ll be there to protect you. I miss you. It’d be nice to take a walk together, like we did on the islands?”

“Yamcha, I’m not scared, and I don’t have time to take a walk right now, I’m just busy!”

“Can I… at least come in and help?”

“I’m not gonna make out with you right now!”

He blushed. It had been on his mind, sure, but he really did want to help too, “No, no, I mean for real, can I help?”

There was a long, quiet pause, in which the only sound he heard was his own stomach grumbling. He sighed. He wanted to hang out with Bulma, but he also didn’t want to miss lunch. Or hunting for the Dragonballs. She never really thought about his needs. But, he was a boyfriend again, and that meant foregoing what he needed, didn’t it? He knocked again, “Bulma?”

She opened the door, just a smidge, to look up at him, patient but also exasperated, “Yamcha, I love you, but you do not have to wait for me. I promise. Go have lunch. Go hunt Dragonballs. I would come, I just… I’m busy.”

“Are you sure? Cause… sometimes,” he started and she sighed.

“Yeah, I know, sometimes I get mad and immature and jealous, but I am promising you right now, that I won’t.” She did look scared. It almost made him wonder.

“What’s wrong, Bulma?” He said, quietly. Her eyes were red and shining, and her lip quivered a bit.

“It’s nothing. I’ve got it handled, but I have to handle it, okay?”

“Bulma, we can help, whatever it is,” he started, and she smiled.

“For once, Yamcha, if you could help, I’d ask for it. But it’s a tech thing. So I’ve got it covered. Go get that Dragonball, okay?”

His stomach fell. He wasn’t sure if it was because he was scared too now, or if it was from being dismissed, but he nodded, and shuffled downstairs to join the others.

“Shut up!” He heard Vegeta hiss once he got to the kitchen. Goku and Krillin were laughing their heads off about something, and when Yamcha took a closer look he almost grinned himself.

“Nice shirt, Vegeta,” he mumbled, taking a seat by Raditz.

It wasn’t so much that it was pink—Yamcha could pull off pink, if he did say so for himself, no. It was that it was at least five times too big for Vegeta. Small and scrawny as he was, he looked like he was swimming in an ocean of pepto bismol, and that. That, coupled with the Badman logo on the back? That was pretty funny.

Raditz seemed to have the opposite problem. He was wearing some of Yamcha’s old clothes that had never fit him, and didn’t seem to fit Raditz much either. His orange shirt came out looking more like a tight tank top, and the sweatpants were a bit too short—Raditz was much skinnier than Yamcha (who Panchy had described once as big boned), but a bit taller, so what should have been baggy sweatpants looked more like odd leggings. What’s more, despite the clothes fitting strangely on him, Yamcha couldn’t help but think that Raditz looked.

Well. He looked very good. Which of course meant cool. Very cool. Yeah.

“You on the other hand,” he started, clapping Raditz on the shoulder, wanting to be complementary, but Raditz looked him in the eyes, and his throat went tight. His voice squeaked out the next part—that hadn’t happened in awhile, “You look very hip.”

“Hip?” It must not have translated. He wanted to explain further, but his hand felt like it was burning, touching Raditz’s shoulder, and he quickly removed it and began digging into the sandwiches out before them.

“It means mondo cool,” Krillin said, shooting finger guns at Raditz.

“What the hell is mondo cool?” Vegeta said through a mouthful of sandwich. 

“The opposite of you,” Yamcha said without thinking. Everybody laughed, but Vegeta sent him a death glare. Somehow, he wasn’t as scared of him as he used to be. Had to be the pepto bismol shirt. Instant neutralizer. Yamcha even chuckled, thinking they’d have to remember that for any future bad guys.

“Where’s Bulma?” Vegeta and Panchy said at the same time, and Vegeta shrunk into his chair, his face turning a bright red that clashed horribly with the pink.

“She said that she’s busy with some tech thing and that we should go on without her for today,” Yamcha said, trying not to feel a little disappointed, and surprised to find that, even if he was a little, it was a lot less disappointment than he probably should have felt. 

“Does she need help?” Raditz asked. That disappointed Yamcha much more than it should, and he spoke up maybe a bit too quickly.

“No, no, she said she wants to deal with it herself, you know how she is,” Why was his heart beating so fast? He giggled, focusing once again on the sandwiches. 

Lunch was quickly, and voraciously, eaten. Panchy even packed them all little boxed lunches of snacks to take with them on their adventure out into West City to hunt the dragonball, and Yamcha had been spared the embarrassment of having to carry them by a very eager and helpful Goku. 

“Lucky the radar’s already picked up the dragonball, otherwise we might be wandering around for days, right?” Yamcha tried to sound enthusiastic and hopeful, but the younger boys were distracted by the sights and sounds, and the older boys simply looked disinterested, troubled even. He grumbled. Being the leader was going to be a pain. “Come on, this way.”

The dragonball was not too far from the Capsule Compound, so they walked, Yamcha leading the small group of boys like they were just on their way home from school, really. Despite the fact that three of their members had tails, it really could have been just a regular group of friends, doing absolutely nothing. Sometimes, Yamcha wondered what that would be like--school, shooting the shit, worrying about nothing except grades and girls. Sure, it sounded boring, but sometimes boring was nice. 

This was a dilemma for all Yamchas in every reality. Having been a child in exciting circumstances, a lone orphaned bandit boy, with only a small cat creature as his parent, and his friend, what the rest of his troop of friends considered boring and regular life really did have a great deal more charm for him than the rest. The idea of always knowing where your meals were coming from, always having shelter over your head, and always having others around who cared about you, worried about you, and perhaps even bothered you, all because they gave a damn what happened to you, was in and of itself, priceless to him. In the current reality, he found himself lost in trying to capture that idyllic little picture of family with also trying to live up a life as the most exciting person he could be--caught up with being fairly ridiculously handsome, talented, and interesting to the opposite sex, he lost himself into stardom, and thus, lost the only touch of family he had known. But the fulltime life of a martial artist also did not appeal to him in the same way it did to Goku. He wanted what Goku took for granted, but could not conceive of how to achieve it. The only paths he had known to normalcy had been in fighting alongside his powerful friends, and a genius girl who he loved, and liked a great deal, but found himself incompatible with in terms of their wants and needs in a relationship. The Yamcha of our reality was, to put it in less nuanced terms, going through a bit of a midlife crisis in this regard. Similarly, the Yamcha of this experiment found himself at a crossroads as well. 

What did he want? 

Dragonballs were fun to hunt down and all, going on hair-raising adventures with Bulma, Goku, and Krillin, but he found himself happiest at Kame House, not even when training. He was happiest when they were all together, sitting for a meal, laughing and talking as friends should. He didn’t have an idea of what he wanted to do in the long term--he was good at fighting, but not nearly the most talented. He’d been good at stealing too, but that wasn’t something he liked to do. He was good at flying, and he fancied himself quite the pilot, but could he make that who he was? Or just something he did when the situation called for it? Would his friends even like or respect him if he stopped fighting, or would he lose the only notion of family he had found? 

He was tired. He was tired of not knowing anything about himself, what he wanted, what he liked, who he liked. That was an entirely different can of worms, and he sighed to himself at the thought. “That’s too much for now,” he mumbled, glancing down at the dragon radar, and turning himself and the group down another road. 

“What’s too much?” Raditz asked, and Yamcha almost jumped. 

“Hey, you’re good at that. You’ve really got the energy thing down, huh?” he smiled, hoping to compliment his friend rather than admit he’d been entirely stuck in a daydream. 

The other boys lingered to the back, Vegeta growling something or other at the teasing Goku and Krillin. They were far enough away that if Yamcha wanted to explain, they probably wouldn’t hear...

He sighed, “Just. You know. Thinking about life.”

Raditz smiled, amused, but not teasing, “That’s a big thing to think about.”

Yamcha laughed, “Well, that’s me. I dunno if you knew this but, I’m a big time philosopher!”

“Oh really?” Raditz laughed in turn. “What are you thinking about, Great Philosopher Yamcha?”

He wasn’t sure how to answer that. In fact, he felt like he was starting to sweat. But Raditz really was a cool guy--he didn’t judge much, and he just listened. So maybe, Yamcha didn’t have to try too hard. “Well, you know. I’ve been thinking kind of about like. What I want in life, you know?”

“Like what you’d wish for?”

“Sort of, I guess. But the thing is, I’m not even sure I’d wish for anything. It seems like everyone’s got their priorities set, or the things that they’re good at, and they don’t even have to think about it. Obviously, that thing they’re best at, that’s what they’re going to do with the rest of their lives. I’m just… Not best at anything!” He shrugged, feeling guilty all of a sudden. “Obviously, there’s bigger things to worry about.”

“No,” Raditz’s eyes seemed to be looking far away, even though he was facing Yamcha. “Those should be the things you think about. You know, I’m not best at anything either.”

“What? You’re so strong though!”

Raditz rolled his eyes, and looked away at that. “Not the strongest though. Believe me, I’m reminded every day.”

“Do you want to be strongest?” Yamcha ventured. Sometimes he wondered that about himself. He could train, forever and ever, but did he want to be the strongest out there, or just strong enough?

Raditz paused, watching the cars pass them by, before answering, “It’s not realistic. I know I couldn’t be the strongest, and it’s not something that’s important to me. It took me a long time to be comfortable with that. It’s not really in Saiyan’s nature. But I’d rather be something else. I’m just not sure what yet.”

“Me too!” He said it too excitedly, but that was exactly what was going through his head. He tried to recover with a cough, rolling his shoulders back in what he thought was a very cool, nonchalant way, but Raditz just laughed at him. “Uh, yeah, me too.”

Raditz smiled at him, and Yamcha couldn’t help but think that he had a very nice smile--not a cool guy smirk, or sneering look like he had when they first met, no. Just warm, soft, and mostly in the eyes. They almost looked like they sparkled a bit when he smiled. 

His heart was doing that thing again. Yamcha coughed, trying to get back on track. “But yeah. It’s nice to know that other folks don’t really know… Who they are yet. Or what they want in life. At least you have something good and important to wish for too.”

“...Thank you,” Raditz said, softly. “I’m glad you think so.”

“Of course! You gotta get your people back. That’s really noble, and amazing. You might not know who you are, or what you want, but you know what’s right--that’s even more important than any of that other stuff, and you’re gonna do it! You’re a hero, as far as I’m concerned.”

There was a long pause, but Yamcha felt like it was a nice one. When he looked back over at Raditz though, he seemed to be fighting some sort of inner battle with himself. “You okay, man?” he asked, taking a chance to touch his shoulder in a friendly, concerned manner. 

Raditz blushed a moment, and looked behind them conspiratorially. The younger boys were still preoccupied, now play fighting Vegeta as they walked. Vegeta almost looked like he was… Teaching them? Well, that was something. But Raditz instead leaned very close, whispering in Yamcha’s ear, and sending shivers down his spine, “I think… If I had to pick something I wanted out of life… More than anything, I would like to be loved.”

His heart was pounding. It was a little mushy, but Yamcha… He got it. Summarized so succinctly, it sounded so right, so sensical. He wasn’t even sure he knew loved how, but yes. More than anything, being loved sounded like the only adventure worth a damn. When Raditz pulled away, Yamcha nodded slowly, swallowing to try and make his throat a little less dry. 

They stared at each other, perhaps for a bit too long. Very quickly, it felt like, much too quickly, someone leapt up and punched the back of his head. 

“Very good, Kakarot’s friend, that was an excellent sneak attack upon a fool who decided to stop walking in the middle of the pathway,” when Yamcha and Raditz turned they saw Krillin and Goku giggling madly as Vegeta just smirked at the two of them. “Are you two done? Can we find the dragonball now?”

Raditz’s eyes flared with mischief and anger. “I’ll show you whose done…”

Vegeta looked ready to meet the challenge head on, but Yamcha intervened. “Nope! Nope! He’s right! Let’s go! It’s real close, and I got distracted, hahaha, silly me! Let’s go!” It was bad enough to have a mini kid brawl in the middle of their adventures elsewhere, but in the middle of the city? Yamcha’s nerves were shot just thinking of the destruction.

The dragonball was easy enough to find. Somehow, it had found itself in the nest of a very industrious pigeon, and Goku helpfully flew the nimbus up to grab it when neither of the older Saiyan boys could bully the other into doing it. They stopped by ice cream after that, grabbing a little something for Bulma too, but when they got back, her father told them to leave it in the fridge for her.

“She’s still locked up in there, doesn’t want anyone bothering her. Don’t really know what that’s about. Oh, except uh… Is one of you boys Raditz? She did ask for a Raditz.”

That was odd, but they figured it had to be about the scouters. The other boys went off to their rooms, or to relax in other areas of the compound for the night, not giving it another thought. Tomorrow was another day, another adventure, and today had been pleasantly easy. Almost fun. Yamcha himself went to sleep thinking about those same big questions he and Raditz talked so easily about. His dreams were full of indistinct images, but one constant and good, warm feeling: being loved. It was nice to have an easy day and good, happy dreams.

 

When Raditz arrived at Bulma’s room, she pulled him in, and locked the door. 

“Easy, easy, what’s going on?” he laughed. “I’m not Vegeta, you don’t have to throw _me_ around.”

She didn’t answer, and as he took a closer look, her eyes were red, and she was shaking. 

“What’s going on--?”

“Raditz? Is that you?” a voice called, and he whirled around, expecting the man to be here, in the room, but it was just coming from the scouter, thrust against the wall, damaged and cracked, but not nearly broken enough. “I knew this stupid girl had to be lying. Come in, Raditz, talk to me!”

 _Nappa._ Everything stilled. Something pounded in his ears, and his limbs felt cold and heavy. He glanced at Bulma, who simply hugged herself, shaking her head. “I’m sorry. I tried, I really tried,” she whispered. No doubt she did. 

“What do you want, Nappa?” he said, slowly. “What’d she tell you?”

“She told me she stole you and Vegeta’s scouters off of you, and has been hiding them on her shit hole planet ever since, trying to figure out how they work,” Nappa laughed, almost sounding relieved. “Obviously, you’re here, so I didn’t have to vaporize her from space for such a blatant lie.”

He didn’t think his blood could run colder. “Are you… In atmosphere?”

“Raditz, I’m set to land, if I want. I thought though if I could reach you, I could get you guys to come up to me and we could sort out this whole mess together and be done with it. So get outta there, vacation’s over. I’m in enough trouble as it is.”

“I tried scrambling it more, I really did, Raditz, I thought I’d lost him, I’ve been at it all day,” Bulma was still whispering to herself, trying to ask forgiveness? Make up for it? He wasn’t sure. He knew, he always knew that this day would come sooner than they wanted. 

“Nappa, are we on a regular line?”

“Don’t mess with me, Raditz. Get in a ship, and get up here now. Vegeta too.”

“Are we on a regular line?”

“Of course not. If we were, they’d hear everything. I wanted to get ahead of this, and we don’t have a lot of time. We have to go now.”

“Nappa, we might have found something. Something important,” he tried to think of a way to say it, a way that wouldn’t tip anyone listening in off to what they were planning--even if it wasn’t on a regular line, he knew better than to trust Frieza. 

“Is it important for Frieza?” Nappa drawled. 

“It grants wishes. Whatever you want,” Raditz was speaking quickly now. “Whatever you want, Nappa.” 

“You’re chasing fairy tales? You’re risking all of our lives on fairy tales? I always knew you were a stupid, low class piece of shit, Raditz, but I never thought you’d drag the prince into this.”

Somewhere, behind him, Raditz heard a fumbling at the door, and Bulma still muttering, but his focus was on the task at hand. Nappa was still one of them. “Nappa, stall, please. This is bigger than the three of us. This is… It’s real, and it’s powerful, and it could mean everything.”

“I can’t stall, Raditz. I’ve been stalling. And I’m coming down there to get you, whether you like it or not because the alternative is worse.”

“If you come to get us before we do what we have to here, the alternative is way worse, Nappa. We have a chance here. A chance to be--.”

“What? Free? No, we don’t. We never did. Your stupid father put stupid ideas of fighting back in your head, Raditz, and you were always poisoned by that impulse. There is no fighting back. If I don’t get you first, the Ginyu Force are coming, and they will kill me, and they will kill you, and they will destroy this entire system. Do you understand? We don’t matter to Frieza. He just wants his plaything back. And I’m not gonna die for him.”

Raditz didn’t have words. _Plaything?_ The answer shuddered through him, and he thought of Vegeta, flying above the island, screaming to the point of passing out, and for the first time in his life, he understood the full extent of how much they should fear Frieza. For the first time in his life, obligation was forgotten, and he actually felt an honest desire to protect his friend.

It didn’t matter though. Vegeta pushed passed him out of nowhere, and grabbed the scouter. 

“Tell Frieza to watch out then. I’m leading the goddamn charge, our people behind us,” he snarled, and crushed the scouter in his hands. The other one lay on the ground already destroyed, but Vegeta stepped on that too for good measure. 

Everyone was breathing heavy. Raditz tried to speak, but his mouth was dry, and his voice raw with some dark emotion he hadn’t felt in a very long time. 

“Vegeta,” Bulma said, reaching for him. His hand was bleeding from the shards of the scouter. Despite the bravado, he looked smaller and younger than he ever had. He was crying. 

“We have to get the last one fast,” he said, simple and robotic once more. “We can’t fight the Ginyu Force. We have to go back to the original plan…”

“No!” Raditz shouted, surprised at the strength behind it. “You just said you’d fight with your people behind you! One person alone can’t do this!”

He wanted to argue. He wanted to fight. Both of them did. But Bulma stood between them, hunching her shoulders, and sniffling loudly--despite those sniffles, her voice was eerily calm, “We can argue about what we do on the way there, but you’re right, Vegeta. We can’t stick in one place for long, and we gotta find that last dragonball. So let’s get everyone and go.” She turned towards the door, and before she opened it, glared down at Vegeta’s hand, “And get you a bandaid, I can’t believe you.”

The look on Vegeta’s face was almost funny.


	8. A Proposed Solution in the Form of a Wish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The dragonballs are collected, and the showdowns begin!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So when I started writing this, I really, really stressed about uh. How to deal with the whole wish situation. I think the solution I came up with was pretty cool, but it is absolutely not lore-compliant whatsoever, or at the very least, is very stretched. I could not figure out something more in line with Toriyama's rules, but watching the series, he doesn't really always stick too close to them either?? So I ventured on the side of 'Let's have something cool happen so it can end happily, and also IDGAF i want the Saiyans back". Since this is the realm of fan fiction, I figured that was probably okay, but let this be a warning that this is definitely not 100% lore-compliant. D:

It was challenging to get everyone into a car quickly, and say goodbye to her mother and father, but luckily, she was a very loud young lady, and very persuasive.

The only part that hurt was her mother’s knowing look as she left, “Be safe, sweetie.”

“You too.”

Raditz and Vegeta filled everyone in while Bulma drove. It was all she could do really, strung up and shaken as she was. Another alien was hunting them down, followed quickly by a whole squad of even more powerful, worse aliens. The likelihood of earth being destroyed was inching closer and closer every second they didn’t have that last Dragonball. And Vegeta had cried. 

Bulma was a smart girl, and despite her recklessness, could come up with plans on the dot. But her intellect was failing her now. The only thing she could think to do was find the Dragonball, and keep driving.

They drove straight through the night. At one point, Yamcha asked if she wanted him to take over at the wheel so she could sleep, but she didn’t think she’d be able to sleep until… well, ever again really. If she could claw Frieza’s eyes out herself, that honestly would put her mind at ease, but that was not likely, and unfortunately, impossible. 

Vegeta stayed up with her, sitting in the passenger’s seat, arms crossed, and eyes focused on the horizon. She wondered if he was still shaking like she was, but she wasn’t about to ask. How could she? What would she even say? The situation they were in now was already horrific enough, and all that she heard that the two Saiyan boys had gone through, that Vegeta had gone through. She couldn’t even think about it. And for all her smarts, she had no idea how to help someone through this. So she sat, driving silently, white knuckling the wheel, and blinking rapidly to forget that her eyes hadn’t stopped stinging since this morning.

She idly wondered if it was even possible for the Great Dragon to bring a whole world back, much less make someone invincible or immortal. There wasn’t really a rulebook for these things. They just assumed. _Well, wouldn’t that suck?_ She thought, and tried not to let that bring about a whole new panic.

“Do you still have our ships?” Vegeta asked out of the blue, and she frowned, grateful for the distraction, but confused.

“Yeah,” She almost asked why, until it clicked. She scowled, “You aren’t giving yourselves up. Or leaving. We’re helping you. That’s that.”

“It would put earth out of harm’s way,” he said, his voice low and scratchy. 

“So you’re running away? That doesn’t sound like the Prince of All Saiyans I know.”

“It’s not running. I’m taking the battle elsewhere. I’d face them someplace else. Mars, maybe,” he huddled deeper into the chair, stubbornly trying to keep calm.

She was not calm, but didn’t want to wake the others. So she tried whisper yelling. “They’ll just blast you from space while you pass! We’re helping you two, end of discussion!”

“That’s insane.”

“Well, that’s what friends do, okay?” She glanced over at him, and saw that he was watching her closely now. Their eyes met, and she had to look away, her mouth dry and her eyes stinging more. She gripped tighter on the wheel, and shrugged, “You’ve stuck yourselves into our lives, so now we’re all stuck together for good! So get over it! We’re gonna think of a solution together or not at all! We don’t have time for grand romantic gestures of martyrdom, okay? So put it out of your mind, and let’s think of what we can do together.”

“None of us are strong enough to fight them. Nappa, sure, but the Ginyu Force? No… We’ll all die. Earth will likely die. What do you suppose we do about that, hm?” He almost seemed back to his normal self, fighting with her. That was good. Maybe they’d feel better if she just keep fighting him. Maybe she’d feel better, at least.

“We could entice them with the Dragonballs. Worked on you nerds,” she tried, adding a teasing smile for good measure. He did not rise to the bait, instead looking away. 

_Damn_ , she felt hopeless. “Then they either take them for Frieza, or return the information to him, and he comes to collect for himself. Then we have an immortal, invincible Frieza. Brilliant, Bulma, we’re saved for sure.”

She unfortunately rose to his bait. “That was your idea!”

“That’s why I know he’d do it.”

She swallowed, looking away. There were things as a child, you simply assumed could not happen. The world would protect you somehow against evil, whether it be your parents, fairness, or goodness that won the day. The monsters were always chased from closets and beds, and disappeared into the night, never to be seen or heard from again. Bulma, in all her adventures, had seen evil defeated again, and again, thanks to Goku, and his pure, good heart. She had no reason to believe that the monsters would not be chased away. And yet, confronted with the reality before her, that truth she held onto so dearly was starting to slip. And for children, that truth does not go away easy or painlessly. It wrecks the heart to learn that the cosmos is cold, uncaring, and unforgiving. It leaves behind something all encompassing, something fathomless, dreadful, and powerful:

Emptiness.

She tried to stare ahead, the plains but a dark stretch of nothing, illuminated only by the headlights of the car. Glancing back at Vegeta was almost the same thing, sending a shiver down her spine. She had to shake this, whatever it was, if only just to survive. This feeling was threatening to swallow her whole.

“Fuck Frieza,” she said, not whispering, but not too loud as to wake anyone. She just wanted to be heard, some noise to defy the encroaching silence. “Fuck him straight to hell and back.”

Vegeta looked at her, eyes wide, and eyebrow raised. She almost smiled. Instead, she pushed forward, “I’m not going anywhere, and neither are you. If we’re driving straight to our doom, then let’s meet it head on, at least. Nothing more we can do except try, right?”

Her heart was pounding fast, but it was another sound against the darkness, another force to drive her forward. It reminded her that even if she couldn’t see, even when her eyes were closed, and the night fell over all, she had blood racing through her, she had a mind capable of anything, and a soul that wouldn’t give up. Her shaking hands, a symbol of fear, could be another tool in her arsenal of life—she had hands that could shake! She had eyes that could cry! She still felt every emotion under the sun, and the worst thing they could do is something she’d have no memory of feeling! Besides, she was smarter than them, crazier than them, more creative than them! She’d figure something out. She always did. 

This time she did smile at Vegeta, willing all the senseless bravery in her to spread through all of them, if that was even something it could do. She hoped so. “I don’t know what we’re gonna do. I don’t know what we’re gonna wish for. But we’re doing it together, and it’s gonna get done, because that’s all we can do! Are you with me?”

“You… Are insane,” he said, very slowly.

“What the hell, I worked really hard on that inspirational speech—.” She started, but he kept going, right over her complaints.

“And the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my life.”

She almost crashed the car. 

 

The car jerked, hitting Goku’s head on the window. Blearily, he opened his eyes, trying to get them to focus, but the world around them was still pitch black.

“Bulma?” he said, crawling over Krillin and Raditz’s bodies over to the front seat. 

His eyes adjusted in time to see both of the occupants of the front seat, staring dead ahead, their faces, illuminated by the reflection of the headlights, glowing a faint pink, and sitting so stiffly, they couldn’t possibly be comfortable. 

“What’s going on?” he asked, looking between Bulma and Vegeta. “Did something happen?”

“No! No. No, no, no,” Bulma squeaked, and Vegeta glanced at the dragon radar between them.

“We’re getting closer,” he said, quietly, and clambered over his seat. “I’ll… Wake everybody up.”

Goku slid into the seat that Vegeta just left, and looked over to Bulma. She was watching the mirror, as if there was something behind them, but Goku couldn’t see anything, just Vegeta stepping on Raditz to wake him up. She seemed frazzled. She often was, but there was a lot going on today, what with the aliens coming after them, so he figured it was a good idea to try and ask again, “Are you okay, Bulma?”

She jumped a bit, focusing back on the drive straight ahead. “Yeah, yeah, I’m fine, Goku. I mean. Obviously not fine, we’re all in grave danger, and we don’t really know what we’re doing, but on that front, I technically am, all things considered, fine.”

“Me too,” he said, and she looked at him like she always did, like he was a very silly sort of puzzle. It made him laugh. “I don’t know, I’m not as scared as I think I should be. These are going to be very strong fighters. I’m a little… Excited!”

“You’re… Excited?” she said, slowly, as if he was speaking another language. 

“I’m scared for Vegeta and Raditz, but I think that we can take them. And I’m excited for Raditz to get his wish! And I am excited to see how well I can fight them! There’s a lot going on.”

Bulma was silent a moment, before asking, “How… How do you think Raditz’s wish is going to work, Goku? I’ve been wondering that for awhile. Is a planet just going to show up in our solar system? Are we going to have all the Saiyans on Earth? Is it possible?”

He’d never thought of it. He shrugged. “I guess we’ll see, huh? Not really much we can do until Shenron makes it happen!”

“Okay, but… What would you _want_ to happen? Just curious.”

He looked at the dragon radar. They were almost there, wherever there was. But it seemed an important question to Bulma. He sighed, and tried to think really hard. 

What did he want to happen? Mostly, he wanted to fight in a big battle with his brothers by his side--Raditz, Goku, and Krillin all together fighting sounded ideal. Vegeta there too, could be fun. Yamcha, of course, was always fun. He wanted Raditz to be happy, and he wasn’t sure if Vegeta could be, but it would be nice if the two of them weren’t so miserable and scared, and if Goku could do something about that, he would. He wanted to test his strength, and grow stronger. He wanted to meet the other Saiyans, if possible, but that… That didn’t quite matter as much to him as it seemed to Raditz. It would be ideal if they could all be here with him on earth, but… The other Saiyans might be a lot more like how these two were when they first met them. If he was honest, he’d rather visit the Saiyans elsewhere than have them here permanently. But maybe they could be taught, like Vegeta was. Maybe they were gentler, like Raditz. Or something in the middle. 

He didn’t know what the right answer was, but then again, Bulma had not asked for a right answer. Just what he wanted. He frowned deeply, trying to focus inward, and deciphering exactly what that could be--it was not an easy task for Goku. 

But eventually, just as the car was coming to a stop, and Bulma announced, “We’re here,” he’d figured it out. 

She came around on the other side to open the door for him, and he hopped out, eager to share. “I’d like the Saiyans to learn how to be different,” he said. “I don’t think they have to be the way they were. I just think that’s all they knew.”

Bulma watched him as he gathered his power pole, and raced to Krillin’s side. He wasn’t quite sure what she thought of that, but her eyes had that deeper blueness they got when she was thinking hard. He’d leave her to that for now.

They’d parked at the front of a huge, dark cave. Krillin and Goku alone stood at the mouth of it, while the rest of them talked. 

Krillin was shaking. “I don’t like any of this,” he said, squirming. “It’s so creepy.”

“The aliens, or the cave?” Goku had to ask. The cave wasn’t especially anything, it was just big and dark. He looked back towards the others. Bulma still had the dragon radar, and they were still deep in discussion. They’d have to wait. Goku was getting impatient. 

“Both,” Krillin gulped. 

“It’s not that scary, I promise,” he said, smiling at his friend. Krillin did not smile back, holding a flashlight close to him, like it would protect him. “Turn that on, and let’s go see! I bet it’s only scary ‘cause it’s dark!”

Krillin glanced back at the others, and nodded. “I guess we can scout ahead.” He turned on the flashlight, and the two of them began walking into the cave. 

“Don’t get too far ahead!” they heard Bulma call after them, but Goku didn’t pay it too much mind. 

The cave was well carved out, only small stalactites and stalagmites appearing every now and then, otherwise, it was perfectly round, smooth, and very, very humid. It almost felt like the deep, underground areas of one of the Red Ribbon Army labs, which seemed forever ago, but really it had only been a few months. Krillin’s hand shook too much holding the light, to the point where Goku offered to carry it instead. He smiled when Krillin refused to hand it over, “I’m not a quitter, I’m not afraid!”

At some point, as they had gotten deeper in, they could hear the others follow along inside. It probably would help to have the dragon radar, so Goku and Krillin stopped, but something itched at the back of Goku’s mind, as he sniffed the air. Something peculiar filled the air with a deep, earthy scent, not quite rocks or mud, but something more. “Hey, Krillin, turn off the flashlight for a second.”

“Why?” he yelped, and Goku shrugged.

“I feel like there’s something cool in here, I just wanna see what it might be.”

“That’s not a reason!” Krillin snapped. He stared at Goku for a long second before sighing, “Fine, but just for a second, okay?”

“Okay!” Goku said, eagerly. 

The flashlight went out, but the light didn’t disappear. Instead, the cave filled all around them with a soft, blue-green glow. Mushrooms, some as big as Krillin, covered the ground and ceiling and walls of the cave. 

“Woah,” Krillin said, and Goku matched the sentiment with a gleeful laugh, slipping a shoe off to squeeze a mushroom underneath him in between his toes. 

“What is all this?” Yamcha said, quietly, as the other group finally got to their side. Raditz frowned at it more than the rest of them, seemingly distrusting of any sort of plant life that glowed. 

Goku teased him, and threw a mushroom at him. “What’s wrong, Raditz? Don’t like mushrooms?”

His brother dodged, eyeing the offending fungus with distaste, “No, just the last glowing plant I saw tried to eat me on Gamma 6-1.”

“These aren’t going to eat you,” Vegeta sighed, and Goku laughed as he caught the questioning look Vegeta shot Bulma, and her quick and silent confirmation that no, they weren’t going to eat you.

“It’s nice, though, right? We won’t even need flash lights! We can see fine!” he said, putting his shoe back on, and skipping a few ways forward. “How close is the dragonball?”

“It is nice,” Bulma said, quietly, before trying to look serious as she examined the dragon radar. “It’s still further down.”

“And it looks like down’s the way to go,” Krillin grumbled, gesturing to where Goku had stopped, and looking over the edge. “We might need to climb…”

“We can fly!” Goku said, about to summon flying nimbus, before Raditz stopped him. 

“We have to keep a low profile, Goku. They might see your nimbus flying towards us, or feel our energy if we fly.”

“Darn, that’s right,” he’d forgotten that bit. Not the danger, no, just the secrecy. Secrecy was kind of annoying. But climbing was not. “Well, that’s alright! It shouldn’t be too bad!”

The pathway down was more like a steep hike, rather than a traditional climb. Goku and Krillin hopped and slid from rocks to more gravelly paths, easily. Yamcha tried to follow, but focused more on a controlled slide than too much hopping, a strategy Raditz followed with ease. Goku couldn’t help but giggle every time he looked back at Vegeta though. He clearly would have been able to scale the hike easily, but he kept pausing and grumbling at Bulma, who timidly stretched from rock to rock, rather than jumped. 

“You literally leapt from a canyon edge just to bother me in that ravine,” he overheard, and when he looked over at Krillin while they slid, it looked like he’d overheard too. They both snickered, trying to hide their amusement, in case Bulma saw and yelled at them.

“I was mad then, and it’s dark here, okay! You can go on ahead, I’m doing fine!”

“No, you’re not. If you keep moving like that, first off, it’ll take a week, and secondly, you’re going to fall.”

“I literally didn’t ask you! Go! Shoo! I’m doing grea--.”

It probably hurt her pride more than anything, but Bulma did fall, and fast, catching onto one of the paths of loose gravel, which carried her straight passed Raditz and Yamcha, and straight passed Goku and Krillin. Behind him, he heard Raditz snap at Vegeta, “Don’t fly!” but Goku was faster than whatever all that was. He and Krillin both dove into the gravel, and grabbed Bulma easily before they hit the bottom. 

“What’s a matter, Bulma? Trouble in the happy home?” Krillin said, which didn’t make much sense to Goku, but the sly look he had earned him a smack from Bulma, and in the blue-green light of the mushrooms, it looked like her face had flushed. 

“You probably should have listened to Vegeta,” Goku said, “Confidence is key! Ow!” He wasn’t sure what he’d said to earn his own smack, but Bulma stood shakily, and then hugged the two of them both.

“Thank you,” she gruffed out, before stomping away and pointing down another tunnel, “We’re in luck! Just a little more this way!”

The mushrooms petered out here, deeper in the cavern, though there were still a few to light enough of the way that flashlights still weren’t necessary. Now though, each one of them were just shapes in the dark, groping the walls for stability, and inching closer and closer to the dragonball. For awhile, that was the only sound, the slowly increasing beep of the radar. Goku felt like it almost beeped in time with his heart beating, and the steps he took, the sound surrounding his being so. With every step, the rate increased, and his fingers flexed, wanting to wrap around the anticipated dragonball. Further and further they went, until something worse struck Goku frozen in place.

Something rattled through him like a current, tingling at his teeth, burning at his eyes, and prickling his skin. His tail stood straight and his heart raced. 

Raditz and Vegeta stood stock still too, Yamcha and Krillin looked around, and if Goku could see their faces, he was sure they’d be white like a ghost. 

Bulma hadn’t realized they’d stopped until a few feet away. She turned back, and called after them, “Guys?” but whether it was the energy clouding his vision, or the darkness of the cave, she felt like she was miles and miles away. 

“It’s just one, right?” Yamcha asked. “So that’s…”

“Nappa,” Vegeta and Raditz said at the same time, their tones wildly different, one venom and one regret and fear. 

“Bulma, keep going to grab the dragonball. Krillin, Goku, stay with her,” Yamcha said, already moving towards the Saiyan boys. 

“You should stay too,” Raditz said, quickly. “You’re not strong enough.”

“Neither are you,” Yamcha said, and Goku heard rather than saw the affectionate clap on the shoulder. “None of us are. You’re gonna need all the help you can get, right?”

“Wrong, I’m strong enough. You should all stay,” Vegeta growled. 

“And let you do something stupid? I don’t think so,” Raditz sighed. “If I’m not around to watch your back, you’ll just hand yourself over or something.”

“Never,” it was quiet, but firm. Goku believed him.

“If you need everyone you can, I want to go,” Goku said, calmly. He wasn’t about to miss this fight, not for the world. “Is that okay, Krillin?”

Krillin nodded before remember how dark it was, “Y-yeah. Be careful though.”

“Are… Are you guys sure? We’re so close,” Bulma said, and she almost sounded like she wanted to cry. For once, Goku understood. He walked over to her, and squeezed her hand.

“We’ll be okay, Bulma. We’re together. We need to keep him away from you, and we need you to get the dragonballs, so when we come back, we can make the wish!”

She was shaking, but she squeezed his hand back. “You better come back, Goku. I’ll never forgive you if you don’t.”

He laughed. She was always saying things like that. Goku was one of those rare people who understood the truths of people’s hearts without them being said, but he recognized that it made her feel better to say it. The love of his friends kept him from being afraid, and he hopped back over to the boys, waving goodbye to Krillin and Bulma. “I promise! We’ll be back safe and sound!”

There was no point in not flying anymore. Raditz grabbed Yamcha, and Goku, with no time to wait for the nimbus, took a reluctant Vegeta’s hand, as they raced towards Nappa’s energy signature at the mouth of the cave. 

The man seemed to be waiting for them. He was tall, bald, and mustached, leaning against the opening of the cave trying to appear nonchalant, perhaps even annoyed, but the way his energy spiked seeing them arrive told Goku everything he needed to know--he was afraid, he was angry, and he was dangerous. They landed, standing a few feet away from Nappa, and stared. 

“You guys were hard to find,” he said, his voice scratchy and low. “I saw only one speck of your energy for a moment, and had to book it over here fast.”

Raditz shot a glare at Vegeta, but he didn’t seem to notice. All his attention was on Nappa, clenching his fists, and seemingly trying to glare the man into submission. 

“It’s a neat little trick you’ve learned, hiding your energy like that. Did they teach you that here, on this backwater planet? Impressive. Maybe you can share it with the rest of us after we get back,” Nappa pushed off from the wall, stalking over slowly. His arms were crossed, but the energy he gave off was at the ready, and higher than anything Goku had yet felt. He was practically bouncing on his feet, ready to fight. It seemed that nervous energy caught Nappa’s attention finally, and he glared down at Goku in confusion. “And you actually managed to find Kakarot. So that wasn’t all just a load of shit. Well, then, I think we can manage to appease Frieza, if we just show him this little runt.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” Goku said, teeth bared. 

“Neither are we, Nappa,” Raditz stood by Goku’s side. If he wasn’t so keyed up ready to fight he would have beamed at his brother. 

“That’s not a choice you get to make.”

“I’m afraid that it’s out of your hands as well,” Vegeta charged at Nappa, and the fight had begun. 

Nappa blocked with impressive speed, but his focus was all on Vegeta, who had the advantage of raw power, but was still younger, less experienced, and smaller than him. Hit after hit, Vegeta was able to keep Nappa’s attention, but when Yamcha tried to hop in, and attack from behind, the experienced Saiyan warrior easily disengaged, dodging a blast and grabbing Yamcha instead.

“Idiot Earthling. There’s no honor in attacking all at once,” Nappa laughed. “Of course, you might not have died if you all did.” With one fell swoop, Nappa slammed Yamcha head first, over and over into the ground.

Raditz roared into action, shooting energy straight at Nappa’s head, while Vegeta went for his stomach. Nappa threw the unconscious Yamcha straight at Vegeta, while rushing Raditz to try and grab him next. 

Goku blocked the big man with a kick easily, surprising him. “The hell, kid?” was all Nappa was able to say before being met with Goku’s kamehameha wave. The blast knocked him backwards, and stunned him for a moment, and Goku finally felt a twinge of fear. That had usually been one of his best moves, and it had done practically nothing. 

He hopped back, looking to Vegeta and Yamcha. The smaller boy had set Yamcha on the ground, and stood back up, eyeing Goku. “Stay back and help him.” The other meaning was implicit. _You can’t do anything._ Goku had never felt like that before, but nodded, and ran to Yamcha’s side. 

Nappa shook his head, and roared, trying to find Goku again. He didn’t get the chance, as Raditz shot more bursts of energy Nappa’s way. Raditz was desperate though, unfocused, raging through the attacks rather than staying centered and in the moment. 

Nappa capitalized on this, “You’ve never fully had your head in a fight, have you, Raditz? You always want to think your way out of things, trick and connive. So why bother now? Bargain with me!” He launched himself at Raditz, grabbing the boy’s arm as Raditz desperately tried to block, and breaking it in one fell swoop. 

He threw Raditz to the ground, and turned just in time to block a blast of energy from Vegeta, but the force of it knocked him into the cavern ceiling. As he tried to regain his breath, Vegeta flew up to his side, and began dealing blow after blow of concentrated attacks--watching, Goku couldn’t help but admire the cleanness and brutality of his style. He’d yet to really see the full force of their Saiyan training, as well as their training from the Frieza Force. Here, it was evident, and deadly. 

Blood shot out from the man’s mouth, and Goku was sure he heard several cracks that sent a shiver up his spine, and Vegeta was not even remotely through, “You are a traitor to the Saiyans! You only care about your survival! No Saiyan should be afraid to die! Subservience is worse than death!” He screamed, years of rage unleashing onto Nappa. 

Nappa finally caught one of Vegeta’s hands, but Vegeta was able to get in another hit, allowing him to fly back. Nappa hung in the air, breathing hard, and looking at the Saiyan Prince with fury. “You don’t know what shit I’ve had to put up with, kid. To keep you two alive, to keep myself alive, we were already subservient! Thanks to your father, we bent the knee, and this was all put into motion. We were never warriors. We were always mercs trying to survive.”

“So then we fight back! We have that chance now! Don’t let us waste this opportunity!” Raditz cried out, holding onto his broken arm, and standing in front of Yamcha and Goku, still ready to attack, even as Goku could see his legs shaking with the strain of standing up. 

“If you do, you’re worse than a coward, worse than my father, you’re Frieza’s!” Vegeta spat. He was still in the game, barely winded. Despite the beating, the bleeding, and the bruises, Nappa too seemed mostly still easily capable of fighting further. He wondered if the other boys saw that.

“That’s the thing you can’t see, ‘cause you’re just kids. Let me tell ya, you’re Frieza’s. You’ll always be Frieza’s. From the moment your father handed you over, you were no longer your own. You belong to him. And he always gets his way,” Vegeta seemed lost in what Nappa was saying, but Goku could see it was a ploy. He was charging something, slowly and low, but a blast was being prepared. 

“No,” Vegeta said, low, fists clenched. 

“And let me tell ya, kid, I wouldn’t fight him. They told us it was a meteor, but I listen to all those jackasses who laugh behind our backs, I acknowledge the fools we all are. That bastard Frieza destroyed our homeworld. No meteor, no freak collisions. Just his power. We can’t fight him.”

“Frieza destroyed…?” Raditz gasped, swaying. 

“No!” Vegeta roared, flaring up.

“Doesn’t matter, kid. Frieza wins,” Nappa turned to throw the full weight of his power into the surprise attack, but Goku was faster.

“Power pole!” he shouted, and the force of his kick was aided by the momentum of his pole throwing him fully into Nappa’s face--Nappa’s attack went wild, flying straight into the cavern ceiling. Raditz moved quickly to cover Yamcha, and Vegeta blasted bits of rocks away from all of them, but Nappa was quickly covered, buried by his own attack. 

But Goku knew that wasn’t enough. He let the power pole carry him higher and higher, charging his own attack as it carried him beyond the cavern, beyond the treetops, even beyond the clouds. 

“Kame--,” his sight wasn’t so good way up high, but already he could see Nappa begin to crawl out from under the rocks.

“Hame--,” he felt the charge of Vegeta’s energy begin to form, overtaking the slower Nappa in strength and power.

“Hame--,” Raditz too had begun a charge of his own, not half as fast, or half as powerful, but Goku felt a surge of pride rush through him. The Saiyan boys would do this together. 

They were in this together.

“HA!!” Goku let go of the power pole, and fell, letting the force of the air around him, whipping through his hair, his clothes, his tail, all coalesce around his energy, pooling into the heel of his palms, electrifying his blood, charging through his heart and mind--a part of him felt wild, larger than life, itching to lean into this power, let it consume him whole, but he pushed those feelings into the wave, and fired everything at Nappa.

The three Saiyan boys’ attacks hit Nappa dead on, exploding into a crescendo of sound and light that lit up the dark empty desert. Rocks flew through the air, like shooting stars, hitting into the ground with enormous clouds of dust and sand, and Goku flew through it all, letting the Kamehameha wave slow his descent before he grabbed the power pole again, swinging around it as it descended, and the smoke cleared, and the three boys stood, panting over the unconscious form of Nappa. 

After a long moment, Vegeta shot a blast of energy at Nappa for good measure, taking a good chunk out of his shoulder. Goku whirled on him, “Hey! He’s down.”

“And I’m going to keep it that way,” Vegeta said, raising his hand again, and Goku rushed to smack him.

“He’s down. That’s enough,” Goku felt his energy readying to fight again, and hoped that was enough to get Vegeta to stop. 

“He’s not worth it,” Raditz said, his voice barely there. Only then did Vegeta relent, seeming to come out of some dark haze himself. 

Raditz slowly lowered himself to the ground, checking on Yamcha. His brows were knitted together and his lips pressed into a single line of worry. Goku too worried about his friend, but more importantly, that this was only the first bad guy that they had to fight today. 

“How… how long until those other guys get here?” Goku had managed to avoid too much injury, but as the adrenaline wore off, he found bruises, cuts, and felt the shockwave of exhaustion course through him. As he surveyed his friends, they were much worse for wear too. Raditz with his arm broken, Yamcha unconscious. Even Vegeta was battered and bruised more than Goku had thought. Nappa was not as strong as the others, but they had just managed by the skin of their teeth. The Ginyu Force was going to kill them.

“With how much energy we’ve used up fighting? Any minute now,” Vegeta said. 

“If only we could heal,” Raditz said, and before he could finish that thought, Goku remembered.

“We can! Master Korrin!”

“Who?”

“Vegeta, come with me! We have to go somewhere right now, and then we can come back. We’ll take the nimbus, it’s faster than anyone! Senzu beans, they heal! We have to go right now.”

“I’m not taking your cloud!” He started incredulous, but he frowned. “I’ll fly. That way, at least the Ginyu Force will follow our trail first, and you’ll all be safe enough longer… long enough.”

“We have to go now, come on!” Vegeta nodded, and the two of them took off, straight into the air, through the now dilapidated cavern.

Goku hoped the Ginyu Force did follow them. It would protect the others, and Vegeta and he had been the least hurt. Maybe, just maybe, they could take them.

 

Krillin and Bulma had heard most of the commotion before they saw it, but they hurried back with the Dragonball, as fast as their feet could carry them, dreading and fearing the worst.

Bulma was crying as they ran. Krillin tried not to take notice, his own heart racing for the safety of his friends. He wanted to try and make it better, for as much his own benefit as hers, but there was no way the earthquaking beneath them, the cavern crumbling around them, and the distinct prickling chill of energy building up all through him meant anything good. 

It took him awhile to notice, and he barely did, but once the sound caught in his ear, it was like a lighthouse—something minor to focus on as every thought crashed around inside him, and the world felt like it was ending. Bulma was talking to herself. More distinctly, she was working through a problem.

“Bring the planet back, could just destroy it again, bring it back bring it here, two wishes? I could figure out how to say it, but would it mess with gravity here? Throw the system outta wack?”

 _The wish!_ He wasn’t sure how to feel, following along the path of her thoughts with her. It was quite the puzzle. He thought the Saiyans would want to think through it but from the sound of the battle, that might not be the case. 

There was a lull in the fighting, and they had only just come to the steep hill that had led to the Dragonball.

Clawing their way up, Bulma kept thinking out loud, helping Krillin to focus on that rather than how much more eerie the silence was rather than the fighting. Who’d won? Was anyone coming for them? Who? Would Krillin be able to defend Bulma at all? He blinked back the stinging in his eyes, and let those thoughts fall away as he focused again on Bulma’s and tried to follow her puzzle instead.

“Saiyans here, on earth, how big was the Saiyan population? Can Shenron do it? Would they destroy the earth? Can earth fit all the Saiyans and its own citizens? Where would they go, scattered or just right here?”

 _Where would they go after if we all live_ , Krillin thought at the same time as Bulma said it out loud. “Mars maybe? Don’t you have ships, spaceships?”

Bulma glanced at him from above—she’s managed to get higher faster, but was slowing down a bit. She nodded as he caught up with her, and they kept climbing together. “Ships, I don’t have spaceships, but with their ships, we have oceans ships, maybe…”

They got to the top, the light of the mushrooms once more illuminating their progress fully. He saw her tears rather than heard them now. Her face was pale in the blue-green glow, her eyes red and wide and wet, but determined. He wondered if his were beginning to match, a trail of wet on his face betraying his fear. But she didn’t stop talking, not once. 

“Can’t wish for ships, only one wish. How do I keep them safe, bring them here, bring the planet? How do I keep us safe if we…”

“Whoever is left will wish us back,” Krillin said, believing it with his whole heart. Roshi, Launch, Goku—Goku would never die. And he’d never, ever not wish them back.

It seemed too bright up ahead for night, but really it was the cavern, completely torn asunder. Krillin’s breath caught in his throat, as the spike of energy shocked through him. He grabbed Bulma, and ducked the two of them behind a fallen wall of rocks.

The two looked over and saw aliens unlike the Saiyans. A big man was unconscious on the ground, and further still lay Yamcha. Bulma almost screamed, but covered her own mouth, and Krillin tightened his arms around her, his own heart falling fast. Raditz was held up by a tall purple alien while a shorter orange one pummeled fist after fist into his gut. The largest of them, purple too, with horns, and a horrific face, laughed mercilessly, and spoke low, and dangerous, “We felt his energy leave here not too long ago. We figured whatever was keeping him was here, so why not make this easy for you, Raditz? Maybe Lord Frieza goes easy on you, and you only get life imprisonment? Anything’s better than dying, right? Especially for Vegeta.”

The power Krillin felt oozing from these creatures was nothing like he’d ever felt before. He felt smaller than ever. There was no possible way that he could do anything, and yet, he was shaking with the furious need to do something.

But he had Bulma to protect too. He looked over to her, and saw that she slipped out of his arms, and was crawling out of the cave through the damaged wall.

“Bulma!” He barely breathed it out, so worried he was of their discovery. He followed her, carefully, willing every movement to be as silent as the grave. 

Once outside, he raced to follow her as she ran a small distance away, took her bag, and dumped all the Dragonballs on the ground. Without even waiting for the last one to clunk unceremoniously into the pile, she said the magic words, her voice raw, but bursting with her quintessential brand of defiant and demanding fury.

The sky darkened. Clouds rolled in, and thunder and lighting roared throughout the sky. The Dragon, Shenron, had been summoned.

A long column of light sparked through the black sky, and twisted and turned into the mighty scaled beast. It stared down at them, red eyes gleaming with no gentleness, no compassion, just waiting, questioning, impatiently. Krillin, having only seen him once before, felt his knees go weak, but tried to stay focused and strong.

Bulma seemed to have no such weakness, “Hello, Great Dragon, Shenron! I have a couple questions!”

“Bulma!” Krillin snapped, looking behind them to see if the Ginyu Force had caught on. Their energy was coming closer.

“Can you bring back multiple people from the dead?” She asked.

“Only those who had died within the year.”

“Shit,” she said, and the Dragon almost looked displeased. “Sorry sir, just working through a problem. What about a planet? Could you bring that back?”

“Yes. Please be quick about it.”

“He’s right, Bulma, think faster,” Krillin cried out, seeing the heads of the Ginyu Force looking out from the cavern and spotting the Dragon. 

“Last one. If you brought a planet back, would you also bring back its living creatures, and possibly could relocate it?”

“Depending on your phrasing, although relocation may be much. That might be a second wish.” 

“Perfect!” Bulma shouted, smiling almost maniacally. The Ginyu Force has been shaken from their stupor at seeing the Dragon and had spotted them now. Krillin took a defense stance, but knew it would be nothing against them.

Krillin shouted, “Please, Bulma, please!”

“I wish that the Saiyan planet, Planet Vegeta, was restored to the thriving, living world it once was, in the Sol System, with all Saiyans on it!” she shouted out, breathless, but remembering to add, with a desperate smile, “Please?”

“That was a mouthful,” Shenron said, impressed. His eyes glowed red, and the wind began to whip around all of them, faster and faster like a tornado, cutting through the desert sands all around them. “Done.” Lightning flashed, and the Great Dragon burst into light, the Dragonballs shooting off like stars, and the dark clouds receding into a moonless, starless night.

The air felt dry and Krillin breathed in hard, trying to still his heart, even while the Ginyu Force’s power still pricked at his skin. “Did it work?” He asked, quietly.

Bulma just stared at the sky, her face a mess of emotions, until finally, they heard a shout from behind them.

“Captain! Captain Ginyu! Raditz and Nappa are gone!”


	9. An Opposing Argument Is Made

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Ginyu Force is going down!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am gonna post the last two chapters at the same time! Thank you guys so much for reading, and I hope you enjoy the ending! :D <3

The technical effects of the wish were as follows.

The Saiyan planet, Planet Vegeta, was quickly restored, rushing through its planetary history in the blink of an eye—where once it occupied a large space in a system just north of the Sol System, it found itself suddenly and cozily snuggled somewhere in between Earth and Venus, as if it had always been there.

Through the restoration of the planet, as it once was, the rule of one year was circumvented, as evolution naturally took its course, and the chaotic pattern of life that emerged from its first incarnation repeated verbatim, producing the Saiyans as they were, moments before their destruction. They found themselves in the lived peril of knowing death was coming, only to discover that nothing had happened. Warriors eased themselves back onto the ground. Bonded pairs released one another, only to embrace again, this time in thankfulness. Kings and revolutionary leaders alike pondered how and why the certainty of death had not come. 

And three Saiyan boys, and one unconscious Saiyan man, found themselves unceremoniously plopped on the red, clay ground of Planet Vegeta.

“What happened to the damn cat?” Vegeta growled, turning around every which way to get his bearings, only to pause, as his eyes adjusted, and his heart stopped. Before him was a skyline he knew well from memory and dream, but this time, with completely different stars. 

“Vegeta?” Raditz was battered and bruised, and could barely see through a swollen eye, but his one good arm lifted him up, and his one good eye saw something that seemed so real it had to be fake: the streets of his home, plucked from his mind’s eye, before him like they had never gone away. The odd green chimney stacks of the meat processing unit at the end of the road, where his mother would work, and walk to meet him after a long day, stood tall and bent as they had always. People filed out of their homes, and there were faces he knew as well as he knew his own. The old man with the long, hairy earlobes, who recommended him for elite training, hobbled forward brandishing his stick like a weapon. The young couple who had taken inspiration from his own parents, and were doing things a little differently than their lives had been planned out for them, locked arms with one another, and whispered hurriedly, wondering at their fate. The warrior woman who now ran the tavern three doors down, that was always rowdy, but only in the best ways, stormed out of the tavern, the strong scents of musty grill smoke and wine pouring out with her. It couldn’t be real. And yet...

“Where are we?” Goku said, spinning in place with his bag of senzu to look at this brand new world and immediately bouncing back, as Nappa stirred.

It took a moment, but Napa’s eyes adjusted. The fog in his head cleared. He stood slowly, deliberately, still aching and bloodied, a chunk of his shoulder still gone, but his face held nothing but adoration. “Did I die? I can’t have been good enough to have gone to heaven… is this hell? Seeing Planet Vegeta die, over and over?”

“Planet Vegeta?” Goku said, and suddenly he saw the really important thing. The thing that knocked him back.

A man flew down from above, tall, scarred, and proud in his armor, followed by a woman, smaller, gentle, but no less fiery. The man’s face was cautious and stern, but the woman’s changed upon closing in on them, first shock, and then tearful wonder.

Raditz gasped, and reached for them. They held him back, but soon wrapped him in an embrace.

The man had Goku’s face. The woman had Raditz’s. 

Goku did not know what to say or feel. Embarrassingly, he felt very scared, awkward, and nervous. He felt…

Shy. 

He wandered to Vegeta’s side, but Vegeta was not there. He took off into the sky to look all around. 

He was alone here, Goku realized, like a stone in his stomach. Nothing on this red planet was familiar or warm for him--where Raditz and Vegeta and Nappa saw homecoming, every shape around him was strange--the homes had too make holes and windows in them, the rocks all angled and curved in strange patterns he did not understand, the colors were all off from the green and blue he knew, and the smells stung and tickled his nostrils with something far too spiced, too smokey. Faces came and bombarded Nappa and Raditz with warmth and friendliness, but they were not the faces of his family and friends. This was for Son Goku a planet of strangers, and he was alone. But he wasn’t alone in life. And he remembered very suddenly that they couldn’t linger.

“Hey!” He shouted, and the spell was broken. Several more faces, besides Raditz, Vegeta, and Nappa’s, turned to look at him reluctantly. “They must have wished it all back! We still have to go back and help them!”

Vegeta landed quickly, “That’s right. The Ginyu Force is coming.”

“Ginyu Force?” Said the woman hugging Raditz. Raditz released himself from them, and joined Vegeta and Goku’s side.

“What’s going on that you kids know?” The man with Goku’s face said.

It was Nappa’s turn to join them, stomping over with some sort of new, determined spirit, “I don’t know the first thing about what’s going on, but whatever nonsense you managed, you brought it back. Those Earthlings brought this back. We’ll destroy the Ginyu Force, for them!”

“We have friends, on earth. They saved our planet. Now we have to save theirs!” Raditz explained quickly.

“Come, we’ll get a ship,” the woman with Raditz’s face said, while the man flew up, and announced to the watching crowd.

“You hear that, Saiyans? We got some Earthlings to thank for this miracle! And all we gotta fight is the Ginyu Force?! Come on!”

A thundering roar of voices cried out all around them, and they raced to follow the man and the woman to the shipyard. Vegeta grabbed Goku to help him fly without his nimbus.

“Destroy your scouters,” Vegeta said to the man, “Frieza can hear everything.”

“You heard him” the woman said, taking the one on the man and crushing it in her fingers. 

Nappa handed Vegeta his, “I think you’ve got one last message to send, don’t ya kid?”

The man with Goku’s face balked, looking at Vegeta closely, “Well, I’ll be damned! You’re the Prince!”

“Later, all that can happen later! We have to get to earth!” Vegeta said, and despite his injuries, Raditz flew faster.

“They’re strong and clever, but not as strong as us,” Raditz said, trying to hide his fear. “They…”

“We’ll make it,” Goku said, and the woman with Raditz’s face stared long and hard at him. Goku tossed Vegeta, Raditz, and Nappa a senzu each, while trying to avoid her stare.

“We will. And then when we defeat these bastards and save them, I want to ask you a few questions, young man.”

He wasn’t sure what that was about, but Goku oddly hoped he wasn’t in trouble.

 

Yamcha had started coming to and even though his head ached, sticky with blood, and his lungs felt like they couldn’t fill with air, he tried to stand.

He slipped on the ground, the rocks cutting into him. He tried to raise his head, at least to see, but the world spinned round, and spots appeared in front of his eyes. “Raditz?” He tried to say, and it came out a rasp. “Bulma?”

As sense started to slowly return to his body, Yamcha could hear her. She sounded far away, but it was unmistakably her. It almost sounded like a memory instead of real life.

“You don’t have to destroy the earth! I can get you the Dragonballs!” 

He pressed the dirty heel of his hand into one eye, as he willed the rest of his body forward. In a half drag, half crawl, he managed to make it to a low point in what was left of the cavern wall, and hoist himself up just a bit. He couldn’t move from it though—the wall was all that kept him up. Damn it, he thought, then hearing Krillin.

“She’s r-right! We both can! You can have any wish you want!”

Something bad was happening. The images still were swimming in his eyes, but he tried to focus in on energy instead, closing his eyes and letting the electric, blood racing sensation hit him fast. He was almost knocked down again by the force of it. Five incredibly powerful energies versus one Krillin and one Bulma. 

“Damn it,” he yelped, the act of opening his eyes hurting just as much as taking a step forward, over the wall. He was not going to fall. His friends needed him. Damn his body, damn his limits.

_Where was Raditz? Goku? Even Vegeta._

“Hey,” he tried, and it was just another breath. He pushed forward, clinging to his sides, fearing complete collapse. “Hey!” He tried again, and there was a bit more force to it. Enough that Bulma turned, and gasped, so that the Ginyu Force turned too.

“Oh, it’s the brat that Nappa musta railed on,” one of the Ginyu Force, a human-looking giant of a man, said with annoyance.

“Lie down, kid, you’re done,” the purple one with horns in the center raised a hand, and Bulma launched herself at him.

“No, no, no, no! Please, please, What do you want, okay?” The purple man barely registered her as he held her back with one finger, so she started kicking, screaming, anything to get his attention. “I build tech! I was making improvements on the scouters! I could do it for the armor, the ships, what do you want?”

Their scouters blipped, and the purple man lowered his hand. “Are you sure, my lord?”

Another blip. _What did she get herself into?_ Yamcha watched in horror, barely registering that Krillin had rushed to his side, and was helping him stay up. 

The purple man grabbed Bulma with his other hand, and held her up to scrutinize, like one would hold a kitten or a puppy who’d ripped into a couch. It was almost laughable, until he pointed one finger of charged energy at her. “Listen, human. Lord Frieza has an interest in what you have to say. About the Dragonballs, about the tech. We’re gonna be taking you with us, or… we destroy your planet. Your choice!”

“No!” Both Yamcha and Krillin shouted, stepping forward, but the rest of the Ginyu force stopped their path. All they had to do was stand there, and Krillin and Yamcha knew it was hopeless. They couldn’t do anything against these guys.

It was over. Everything. There was no wish that could get them out of this, and no way they could fight their way out either. 

Yamcha had never felt so small. 

Bulma, meanwhile, had a peculiar look on her face. She was not looking at the purple man, but instead up in the sky—perhaps if you were the purple man, or as others might know him as Captain Ginyu, you would have thought she was crying, desperate and afraid, completely defeated. But what Bulma saw made her laugh, and cry tears of relief.

“You know, when you see shooting stars, you’re supposed to make a wish too,” She said, slowly. “There’s my last hot tip for Frieza.”

“What?” The purple man roared, his energy igniting and ready to fire. 

“Shooting stars,” she said, finally looking back at him and pointing up. “Make a wish!”

To the left of the purple man, an enormous sphere crashed into the ground, sending dust over them and the rest of the Ginyu Force. Yamcha coughed, struggling to see, as a proper looking spaceship landed right in front of the whole group of them, followed by sphere after sphere.

Doors opened as the ships stopped landing, the artificial light from inside them shining like beacons out into the moonless, desert night. Men and women flew out from them, more and more, until it seemed there was a small army all floating in the air around them. 

From the main ship flew Raditz, who landed quickly at Yamcha and Krillin’s side, handing them each an odd bean Yamcha had never seen before. “Courtesy of Goku. Some weird Earth thing I guess.”

Yamcha ate it after seeing Krillin do the same. Strength flooded through him, straightening his back, clearing his mind, and erasing all his aches at once. He rushed Raditz into the biggest, tightest hug he could manage, and Raditz laughed. “Hey, hey, it’s not over yet!”

He let Raditz go to see Vegeta, Goku, the terrifying Nappa, and a man he didn’t know, covered in scars and with a mane of shaggy black hair, surround the Ginyu Force.

“Put down my friend,” Goku shouted, his energy spiking.

“And no need to ask the cliches. I’ve already brought the army,” Vegeta smirked.

“One Saiyan or a thousand Saiyans, you aren’t so tough,” the Captain’s voice was strong, but Yamcha could see that at least some of the Ginyu Force was starting to sweat, as they slowly retreated to their leader. “Our power levels vastly outnumber all of yours combined!”

Vegeta yawned, and shot a single blast of energy at the leader’s scouter, burning it instantly, and leaving the giant purple man howling in pain as the machine burned into his eye. _What a dick_ , Yamcha thought with a laugh. “Power level, shmower level, I don’t trust such measly technology. I only trust my fists!”

“Okay, okay,” The shaggy haired man next to Vegeta said, rolling his eyes. “Let’s get to fighting.”

Bulma was dropped, though still surrounded, and she shrieked as the Ginyu Force flared their collective power and shot to the air. Well, all except the orange one, who grabbed her and held her in place.

“You jerk!” She shouted, trying to wriggle free. Yamcha moved to run to her, but Raditz held him back.

“Let them get distracted first, then all three of us will go get her, okay?” 

He didn’t like waiting, but it made the most sense. “Right.”

The Saiyans all flew higher into the air as the Ginyu Force met them, surrounding them on all sides. The purple captain yelled some commands and the shaggy haired man did as well, but by now they were high enough and the wind was howling loud enough that all words were drowned out. In a blink, the first bolt of energy was thrown, and the battle had begun.

Raditz nodded to Yamcha and Krillin, and all three of them took off towards the orange man holding Bulma. Suppressing their energies and jumping lightly on their feet, they were practically invisible, only seen when Raditz struck the first punch, to the face, then Yamcha, the second, to the stomach, and Krillin rounding them out with two stomps on the orange man’s feet. Bulma bit the man’s hand for good measure, and he let her go, reeling from the surprise more than the strength of their attacks. Yamcha could see he was barely hurt, but his pride was now. He turned to all of them, and charged.

“Run!” Raditz shouted, shooting towards the orange man as well. Yamcha wasn’t about to let him go at it alone. He joined Raditz only to be thrown by the orange man, high, high into the air.

“What’re you doing up here?” Goku said, catching Yamcha and floating happily on the flying nimbus. 

“Uh, I got thrown,” he said, giggling in embarrassment. “You wanna help me down?”

“Sure!” Goku said, and the two flew down, straight at the orange man, walloping him with the power pole on the way. “You guys need help?”

“The more the merrier!” Raditz said, and the two brothers stood side by side, ready for the next attack.

“Yamcha!” Krillin shouted, grabbing him, “Bulma’s got an idea, and I think we’re probably in over our heads here.”

“Uh… right,” he didn’t want to run, but one blow and he’d been tossed like a ball. He ran with Krillin back to the cavern, only glancing back once.

Raditz had taken a bad hit from the orange man and was bleeding from the nose, but Goku leapt over his brother and kicked straight up in the man’s chin, sending him flying. 

_Please be okay_ , Yamcha thought as he looked away, and he didn’t stop thinking it the whole fight.

 

 _Please be okay_ , Bulma hadn’t stopped thinking those words since the boys made her run after the last Dragonball with Krillin. Even now, when she should have been celebrating her genius word jumble to get them all alive and well working perfectly, when she should have been relieved at her daring rescue, anything and everything, all she could think about was Goku, Raditz, and Vegeta, and how much stronger those Ginyu Geeks were.

She fumbled through her bag, trying to find the right capsule, but none of them felt right. She threw the spares behind her, and Krillin buzzed with anxiety as half of them poofed into form, filling the space behind them with cars, a jetpack, a water purifier, a loudspeaker, a computer, a nintendo, and a small pile of luggage, each suitcase bursting open and spilling out dozens of articles of clothes all around. 

“It’s gotta be here,” she whispered to herself, still thinking her silent plea, _Please be okay_ , as she emptied out another compact into her hands. 

“What are you looking for, Bulma?” Yamcha said, glancing between her and the chaos above them. Goku was making quick work of that orange jerk, Jeice. She might have been surprised if she knew how powerful these people were supposed to be, but all her faith was firmly planted in Goku. Of course he was making quick work of him. Still, she worried, and the capsules fell from her hands. 

“Damn it!” she cried, diving for them. 

Krillin helped, holding some up to her face before she’d shake her head, and he’d toss it away. 

“Bulma, you gotta breathe, talk to us,” Yamcha said, a hand gently on her shoulder. At least he hadn’t told her to calm down. 

“We can’t do much, but I have at least one capsule of weapons, just in case,” she could feel both Krillin and Yamcha’s incredulous look, rather than see them. She didn’t have time to feel guilty, but even so. “I know it won’t do a lot of good probably, but we gotta do something, right?”

“I don’t think our weapons are gonna do much of anything against these guys, Bulma,” Yamcha said, carefully and with a great deal of understanding. He had to be hurting and feeling helpless too, but she was not going to sit around, she couldn’t, she had to do something. 

“Still, there’s got to be…” her mind raced. She looked behind her at all the various uncapsuled things, piled high, looking oddly like the prizes from a game show. “Jet pack. Motorcycle. Loudspeaker, computer, nintendo… I think I got an idea.” She beamed, “I think I’ve got an idea!”

She gathered the boys with her, dragging them over to the pile, and shooting off commands as fast as her mouth could form the words buzzing around in her brain. Saiyans crashed to the ground all around them, as Bulma had the boys connect Nintendo wires from the loudspeaker to the computer, hooking up the jet pack’s engine to the motorcycle.

Faster than probably safe, they cobbled together a ride for them to race into the center of the battle, and Bulma hastily typed in the computer, trying to access the particular signal she’d been scrambling these passed weeks. Krillin held on tight to her and the computer, as Yamcha drove them fast towards the mass of shocks and blasts that rained down around them.

“Bulma, are you sure about this?” he yelled back at her, and she barely could answer, so focused she was on getting into the signal. But Frieza’s tech was no match for Bulma’s brain.

“YES!” she screeched triumphantly, “Hit it, Yamcha!” With all the youthful recklessness he had left for a lifetime, Yamcha slammed on the ignition of the hovering motorcycle, and the engines of the jet pack screamed to life, and lifted the trio up, up, up into the air. 

“Blast it, Krillin!” she shouted, and Krillin let go of her to point the loud speakers out towards the first member of the Ginyu Force they could find--some small, frog-like being with four eyes, happily seeming to move without moving, and barely registering the motorcycle behind him.

Bulma pressed enter on her command console, and a low frequency shot out from the speakers. “Is it working?” Krillin asked, but suddenly, the little Ginyu Geek shuddered and grabbed his head, writhing in agony. 

“Yup! Use their tech against them!” she beamed, and pointed at the nearest Saiyan, a large, enormously muscular woman. “Have at him, he’s down for the count!”

The woman raised an eyebrow, but attacked the little frog man, finding him completely distracted by the low wail emitting from his scouter. Unable to focus, he could not use his abilities to dodge, and the woman easily ripped into him, in one dangerous slice of energy. She whooped, “That’s what I’m looking for! Thank you, little thing!” she roared, “I’ll clear a path for you!” 

They moved on to the next member of the Ginyu Force. Jeice was back in action, cutting down Saiyans all around him as he tried to find Goku or Raditz once more. The woman shouted out towards the other Saiyans to clear out, and for a moment, Jeice laughed. “Surrendering already? You won’t get away from the Ginyu Force that easily!” 

Bulma pressed enter again, and Krillin aimed the loud speakers directly at the charging Jeice. The orange man’s eyes bulged, and he clutched his head in horror. “The hell is this?” he shouted, as the woman and other Saiyans dove in for the kill. 

The sound was not quite strong enough to completely disable Jeice--he held his own, but his movements were more erratic, wild, and desperate as he blocked and parried attacks from all sides. Finally, a lucky strike hit--his body fell limp and fast to the ground.

“Can you make it stronger?” Yamcha said, as they followed the group of Saiyans--or the Saiyans followed them, protecting them, she wasn’t quite sure. 

“I’m working on it,” she shouted, typing as fast as she could, as the wind shook her side to side, and Krillin grasped her once again to keep her from falling. 

“Here they come!” the woman shouted, as two of the Ginyu Force broke through a wave of Saiyans, and charged them. 

The Saiyans around them worked hard to block and bounce back the attacks of Recoom and Butta, but quickly they were outmatched, and Bulma had yet to heighten the strength of the signal. Krillin shook her desperately, and she was typing as fast as she could, but each attempt was not strong enough for these two. 

“Bulma!” Yamcha cried out, veering the motorcycle in a quick turn as Recoom shot straight for them. But the turn was too fast, and even as she pressed enter on the latest attempt, Krillin’s grip on her slipped, and down, down she went towards the ground.

 _Oh god. This is how I die. This is how we all die, and we’ll never get wished back, and it was all pointless and, and…_ She opened her eyes, her heart pounding fast and loudly in her ears, but she was not falling anymore. She looked up to where she’d been and saw the sound had managed to hit Recoom, slowing him down just enough for Nappa and Raditz to begin their attack, while Goku flew after Butta on his nimbus. But Bulma didn’t know how to fly. 

She looked to her left and saw Vegeta holding her steadily, flying her back towards the motorcycle in the air. 

“Hi,” she said, her throat dry. 

He glanced at her, and grunted. His lip was split, and there was a dark bruise stretching from his right eye to his mouth, but otherwise, he seemed annoyed that he’d been pulled from the fight. If she didn’t have things to do, she might’ve been mad. 

Who was she kidding, she was mad, “Sorry to keep you,” she snarked, and he glared at her, but there was the subtlest hint of a smirk threatening to appear on his face. “I was only falling to my death after all. And after I’d done the annoying thing of helping you all with my amazing, baller hacker skills.”

“Saiyans don’t need distractions,” he said, but he was smiling now. 

“It’s helping, you gotta give me some credit,” she said, and he opened his mouth to answer, but Recoom suddenly appeared before the motorcycle, and prepped to pummel the machine into the ground. She slapped Vegeta’s arms around her, trying to get him to pay attention, but Raditz launched himself at Recoom, headbutting the Ginyu Geek away, before staggering in front of the bike. 

Vegeta flew them over, leaving Bulma on the motorcycle, and prepared, as Recoom recovered, and charged. “Stop that noise! It hurts!” he roared. Just as he lined up a shot of more energy than they’d dreamed of, Nappa tackled him through the air, straight to the ground. 

“Punch up the volume!” Vegeta shouted back at the trio of humans before he and Raditz flew down for the assist. 

Krillin handed Bulma the console, and she began typing furiously. 

“Hey Krillin?” Yamcha asked, his voice shaky. 

“Yeah?” 

“You got a kamehameha in ya?”

“Yeah?”

“Cool, let’s do that, right now.” She hazarded a look up, only to see Butta charging straight for them. The boys stood on the bike, and charged their attack together, straight at him, and she dove back into her typing, willing, willing this upped volume to be enough. 

The motorcycle shot back with the force of the joined kamehameha wave, and amidst the sounds of battle, she heard two screams of pain she hoped were from the Ginyu Force. When she looked up, Butta was overwhelmed by a dozen Saiyans, who ripped into him with ferocity. Looking down, she saw that the two Saiyan boys managed, with their one time guardian and teacher, to take on Recoom, until all that was left was a sizzling pile. 

“Four down,” Bulma let go of a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. “I’ll up the sound to get Captain Ginyu!”

Krillin and Yamcha looked back at her and cringed, before Vegeta flew passed, “No, you can’t! I blasted it!”

The memory came back to Bulma in an instant, and even if at the moment, she’d been grateful, now her heart blazed in fury, “You blasted it!” she shouted after him, and he winked down at her, as Yamcha geared up the motorcycle to follow Raditz and Goku as they flew off after him. 

“What do we do now?” Krillin said, grabbing onto Bulma, for his own stability or hers, she couldn’t be sure. 

She wracked her brain, her heart pounding as the Saiyans all turned, flying towards Captain Ginyu all at once. _Was there anything they could do? Did they need to?_ But even as she thought it, she saw that the force of all the Saiyans still struggled against the might of Captain Ginyu. “Just follow them, we gotta get closer,” she said, straining to see amongst the masses of bodies crowding into the air, all dealing blows and blocking against one man. 

“Way ahead of ya,” Yamcha said, driving as close as they could get, taking the opportunity of a blast to get to the center of the madness.

Raditz, Goku, Raditz’s father, and Vegeta were giving it their all against Captain Ginyu. A solid punch to the face sent Nappa careening to the ground. The other Saiyans no longer were fighting no—they were trying to limit an escape, and bounce in when necessary. Captain Ginyu was surrounded on all sides, and was slowing down. What had seemed to be a mass of fighting was actually strategy. Somehow, someone knew this was the only way to stop him. Together.

She didn’t know why she was so certain, but something in her welled with pride as she pieced the strategy together. _Way to go, Vegeta_ , she thought, seeing glimpses of him shouting to the surrounding Saiyans in between attacks. 

He had no surprises or tricks to them, Vegeta made sure of that. They had been living under the fear of one of the strongest of Frieza’s men for so long, that every attempted charge he did, the crowd of Saiyans walled in, fought in unison, yelling out commands to one another, that to their untrained ears sounding like undecipherable shouts. But as they got into the thick of it, Bulma could hear the cohesion, the planning. _Overwhelm, distract_ \--just like they’d been able to with the noise in the scouters.

To the three human children, there was nothing they could do because the battle was over. Someone, it was impossible to tell who, snapped Captain Ginyu’s neck, while another ripped a hole in his chest. A roar of victory shot out through the Saiyans. It all happened so fast.

Bulma was glad, but dizzy with the spectacle, dizzy with the adrenaline coming down, dizzy, dizzy. 

“Hold on,” Krillin said, looking just as worse for wear as she was. He held onto her tightly as Yamcha landed their hover motorcycle. Bulma clung back, maybe too tightly. It was just nice to know they were all still there.

“You okay?” Yamcha asked over his shoulder. She nodded, and wanted to ask it back, but instead she got up, and immediately walked away, too tired to speak. Everything still was spinning. 

“We did it!” she heard Raditz a distance away, rushing over and gathering Yamcha and Krillin into a hug. Goku laughed above them, bouncing and dancing from nimbus to ground like it was all a game. 

Cheering echoed all around her, and she was happy, she was, but she was just so spent, she had to sit down, and put her head in her hands.

It was over. Bulma laid on the ground, closed her eyes, and tried to breathe again.

 

“Stop the recording.”

The final sounds of the Ginyu Force paused. They had unleashed everything, from the sound of it, on these backwater aliens. Captain Ginyu even attempted his most powerful move, but even that, somehow, had been outmaneuvered by resurrected apes who caught on to the trick and overwhelmed his senses by presenting multiple targets, so he could not aim properly to take over one body. Only someone who had seen the Ginyu Force in action could come to that conclusion. Someone who had been given close access to the mercy of Lord Frieza, the generosity, and chosen to remain pitifully defiant to the end.

 _Vegeta_ , Lord Frieza thought, a joyless smile crossing his features. Well done. You’ve managed to impress me.

“My lord? What will we do?” 

_What indeed._ The Ginyu Force was gone, which was bad publicity. They were the strongest of his fighters, feared throughout the galaxy, and defeated by simple mob tactics? That would be awfully irritating if it got out.

“I trust that this will not leave this room?” he said with a yawn.

“Of… of course, my lord!”

“Good,” with a few blasts, Frieza killed all but his closest lieutenant, who he could feel freeze beside him. “Let’s keep it that way. Perhaps we’ll host a tournament for those who wish to impress me. Whoever finds me something as powerful and great as these Dragonballs… but better… They will be the leader, and official vanquisher of the Ginyu Force.”

“And Earth, my lord?”

“I don’t care about it. I doubt the Saiyans do either. All I want is the Dragonballs. Should we ever find ourselves near that planet, then we’ll destroy it. For now, my orders are clear.”

His lieutenant shook. He knew what the next question was.

“As for the Saiyans, I have destroyed them once already. Their sudden reappearance does not disturb me. Another pest to eradicate, in due time.”

He had to find them first. They did not reappear in their home system. But the Dragonballs could fix all of this, if they could also bring back planets from the dead. If he focused on that, he’d have nothing to fear from the Saiyans.

Nothing at all.


	10. A Concluding Statement With Suggestions for Further Study

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peace, and a promise to meet again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for reading this whole silly thing I wrote! It's the first thing I've ever fully finished, and it has given me the confidence to go forth and work on a lot of projects that I've had sitting in the rafters forever. I'm so glad that you guys enjoyed it this far, and hopefully one day I'll come back to write a little more in this AU (I have some vague ideas, so we'll see!), but I just wanted to thank you all for taking the time to read, leave kudos and comments--it's all made me very happy! Thanks again! <3

Upon Ginyu’s death, a force of bodies surrounded them, booming cheers and shouts of triumph, and shaking the lot of them in a cacophonous, tumbling mass that crashed down to earth together, finally separating only to devolve into smaller groups to do the same.

Vegeta had heard that this is who they once were. A proud warrior race, who fought well, and celebrated even better. The sounds of laughter and uproarious joyous chants from the adults around him were intoxicating, so much so that he didn’t even mind when Nappa spun him around and paraded him on his shoulder for other Saiyans… He didn’t know what to do, except laugh.

Bardock was given similar treatment, as a large woman threw him up into the air, and he flew back down to avoid her. He returned the favor until his bond, his wife, arrived with Raditz and Kakarot in tow. Vegeta almost thought to look away, as Goku’s eyes teared up, but his smile never went away, as he met his mother and father for the first time.

Yamcha and Krillin stood to the side of it all, grinning at one another, but unsure of the traditional Saiyan manners. Raditz and his family quickly dragged them in for the celebrations though, and Goku and Krillin took much pleasure in throwing one another around and devolving into wrestling. _Which is actually very Saiyan of them_ , Vegeta thought with a laugh. Raditz and Yamcha beamed and laughed and joined in the fray with others, and Vegeta saw Raditz’s tail sneakily wrap gently along Yamcha’s arm. He’d have to tease him for that later.

But there were two faces missing in this celebration that made Vegeta leave to the outskirts of the dancing and yelling and now drinking apparently. One was not missed, no matter how hollow the victory felt, and how sour the thought of his father, hiding away in cowardice, made him feel. King Vegeta had made his choice when he did not join their side, when he did not ask if they needed any assistance, when he did not even leave his castle to see what had happened. He never thought his father could be capable of such spineless behavior, but Vegeta was determined not to think of him. His people were victorious without him. Vegeta was too. 

The second face was missed though, but perhaps the others had forgotten her. Vegeta could not. The only face he really wanted to have seen and cheered with after the battle was hers. 

She was a little ways away, laying in the dusty brown grass of the desert, her eyes closed, and her whole body looking exhausted to the bone. He had to admit, he felt similarly, but she almost looked miserable.

He leaned over her, blocking the light of the steadily rising dawn. Bulma scrunched up her face, having lost that warmth, and looked up at him, peevishly. 

“What are you doing?” they both said at each other. She blushed, scrunching up her face more, and looking away. He grinned.

“There’s a party in the works over there. Seems like something you might enjoy,” he said, carefully trying to seem snide. “We did win after all.”

She smirked, “And I’m happy about that, I am, I’m just… Tired.”

He sat down next to her, and she shot up, looking at him in confusion. He didn’t need to explain himself, so he pressed on. “It’s mostly yelling and throwing people. You’re probably safest here. I could throw you very far.”

She smacked him. “As if I’d let you throw me!” 

His eyes lit up at the challenge, and he moved just a bit, and she yelped, and fell back just for a moment. When she saw he was laughing, she smacked him again.

“Don’t throw me anywhere! After all I’ve done for you—why are people even throwing people?! What’s that about?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know, it’s my first real Saiyan party.”

Her face fell, and softened, “You should go back then! You don’t have to hang out with me.”

“I want to.” 

She watched him carefully for a moment, before settling back into a comfortable position, scooting closer to him. He could feel how warm her skin felt against his, and his tail gently circled around her, careful not to touch her. He’d be damned if he gave Raditz more ammunition to tease him with, but… this felt very nice. They sat quietly, and watched the sunrise for awhile. Sunrises on earth were magnitudes of color, oranges, pinks, and purples all swirling into that deep, deep blue that slowly became lighter and lighter—more like her eyes. He wondered if sunrises on Planet Vegeta were going to look like this now too. He almost hoped.

He glanced at her, and a part of him knew already, but he wanted to hear it from her, “So… what did you wish for?”

She smiled shyly, almost laughingly, “It was kinda complicated. I think I basically asked for evolution to happen again, but exactly the same? So then we could bypass the whole coming back to life rules, or whatever. I wasn’t sure it was going to work…” she looked at him, and he realized she didn’t know yet what she’d done for them. “Did it? I mean, I know there are Saiyans here, but… is it... Is it what you… I mean all of you, not just you personally but…” She would probably keep talking forever, and already he could see they were both overwhelmed by her rambling.

“It’s all back, everyone on it too. It’s perfect,” he whispered, and it seemed like she could breathe fully again. 

“That makes me so happy,” she said shakily, hugging her arms around her legs. “Everything worked out.”

Not only had she brought his whole world back, she’d done it and faced down the entirety of the Ginyu Force alone. She aided them in battle as best as she could with no abilities or powers. She brought them on this journey in the first place. Vegeta could not help but marvel at her. 

_You should probably tell her all that_ , he could almost hear Raditz say. But telling her what he was feeling had worked out so well the last time. He had almost forgotten, but she had nearly crashed their vehicle after he told her she was beautiful. 

_Do it anyway._

His heart beat faster than it had during the whole battle, but he leaned in closer—not enough to touch, but enough that she would take note. She did, leaning to meet him. Her shoulder did accidentally touch his, and it felt like the spot would burn forever, but he cleared his throat, and whispered, hoping against hope that whatever he said conveyed everything he was feeling, even if the words weren’t perfect. “Thank you… for everything. I don’t know… I don’t know how to thank you sufficiently for what you’ve given me… all the Saiyans really, but me… You’ve given me a great gift, and I am not sure I will ever be done thanking you.” 

It wasn’t perfect. He almost groaned. But she laughed, not meanly, and when he looked at her, she was beaming.

“Um… Anytime, Vegeta. You’re my friend,” she looked from his face to his shoulder, seemingly strategizing some plan of attack. Even as telegraphed as it was, he could not have prepared for her to rest her head on his shoulder. He stiffened, his heart racing, but very quickly, he relaxed, as her soft hair tickled his chin, and the weight and warmth of her went throughout him, calming his pulse and heart into a steady, happy rhythm. “Thank you too,” She said, once settled. “You know, for not destroying us and all, and saving the day and…” she sighed, “For saying I was beautiful. That was very sweet.”

His face felt hot, and he absolutely didn’t know what to say to any of that, but… it was nice to have a friend. He wasn’t really sure anyone had really called him that before. “I meant it. You are… An incredible human, Bulma. And you’re my friend too,” he added very quickly, as she looked up at him, her eyes wide with some emotion he couldn’t place, but there were no vehicles to crash and he didn’t want to break the spell of whatever was happening here. It was the happiest memory he would likely ever have. 

She smiled, and did pull away, which felt too soon, too sudden, as the remaining chill of the night replaced her warm weight. But instead she stood, and he matched her movement, unsure of what was happening next. Her hands were on her hips, and determination glistened in her eyes. He had to smile. 

“So now that you have your planet back, do you promise to come visit me?” Her voice had returned to its bossy bark, and he smiled very broadly at her, before quickly transforming it back into the smirk that was better suited for this sort of thing.

“I don’t know. I’ll be very busy. I don’t know if I told you, but I am the Prince of All Saiyans,” he paused, raising an eyebrow and shrugging. “But I suppose for diplomatic reasons I could. As the smartest person on earth, I’ll only treat with you.”

Bulma’s laughter was infectious, and soon they were both giggling madly. She stuck out her hand, and he took it, and she shook it wildly. “Deal! By my authority as smartest person on Earth, Planet Vegeta can always depend on the friendship and aid of Earth!”

He squeezed her hand, and smiled back, “And Earth can always depend upon the protection and friendship of the Saiyans.” 

They stood shaking hands and smiling at each other too long. “Hey guys! Come over here, my Dad is juggling Krillin and Yamcha and Raditz and my mom!” Goku raced over with the biggest grin, before seeing them holding hands. “What are you doing?” he asked with wide, wondering eyes.

“Diplomacy!” Bulma announced with faux gravity, before letting go and joining Goku. “But I think now it’s time to party. I’ve been hearing an awful lot about it!”

She winked at him before she and Goku ran off back into the fray. He wondered if his heart was ever going to recover.

 

The party died down, and it was time for the Saiyans to leave. Raditz sat with his brother a ways from the ships, as the adults prepared them, the question on both their minds hanging above them like a cloud.

“You’re more than welcome to come with us, you know. You’d have a home with me, mother, and father. You could learn everything there is to learn about being a Saiyan.” It was a miracle to even be thinking of them all as a family again. Raditz had not even had the pleasure of seeing his brother before leaving for Frieza’s army, and now, here they were, having defeated the Ginyu Force, Planet Vegeta alive and thriving once more. It was a whole new galaxy to look forward to. But somehow, it felt much more like goodbye.

Goku squirmed in his spot, looking off to the side, vastly uncomfortable with the weight of this decision. Raditz couldn’t say that he blamed him, or was even envious. He had no idea what it would be like to choose between two homes. He was still too ecstatic that home was back in his grasps at all. But Goku didn’t know anything about their home. The red clay planet must have appeared strange to him, just as every planet Raditz had ever been on since seemed to him. But now, these two worlds shared a system, shared a star. If he didn’t come, they were closer now than ever. That had to be worth something, and yet, Raditz still couldn’t help feeling sad. 

Goku was young and incredibly pure-hearted. He had no worries, no woes, no questions about himself and the universe. Raditz did envy him that. But he also wanted to preserve that in him for as long as possible. “Or, we could always come visit. I think we’re only a planet away now,” he smiled down at his brother, and nudged him with his elbow. 

Goku beamed. “That’s right! And I’m sure Bulma will get started on spaceships right away, so we can all visit each other lots!”

“We’ll leave one behind just in case though,” Raditz winked, and Goku giggled. 

“Besides, you all will need to come back and train with Master Roshi,” Goku said, very seriously. “I think he can help all of you. A lot.”

He hadn’t even thought of that. Perhaps Goku secretly had their father’s keen mind for strategy, somewhere under all that sweetness. “That’s a really good idea, actually, Goku. I think we might just do that.”

“And I want to come visit, and help with whatever you guys are doing next,” he continued, watching the Saiyans pack up their crafts, and talking low. “I know everyone’s already thinking of how to strike Frieza next.”

He really did have a bit of their father’s mind in him. “Yeah,” Raditz just said, nodding slowly. “We’ve gotta protect ourselves, and Earth.”

“I’ve got Earth,” Goku assured him. “But it's nice to know we’re going to all work together on this. I think we can beat him.”

Raditz wasn’t sure when he’d become such an optimist, but he smiled at his brother, and mussed his hair, earning another giggle. “Oh definitely. Frieza doesn’t stand a chance.”

Their father and mother came over when it was time to say goodbye. The human children all gathered at the front of their father’s personal ship, smiling shyly at the Saiyan boys. Vegeta was already at the door of the ship, arms crossed, waiting, trying not to steal looks down at Bulma. Raditz would definitely have to tease him later for that. 

Goku hugged their mother, who wrapped her arms so tightly around him, Raditz was sure she’d never let go. She was crying. Goku had hidden his face in the crook of her neck, but he could see the tell tale shake of shoulders. 

“I’m so glad I got to meet you, Mom,” he whispered, and she shushed him. 

“I’m so glad I got to meet you too, Goku,” she hadn’t stumbled once with his chosen name. Raditz had introduced them, and from moment one, she knew who her boy really was. “I’ll be visiting lots, don’t you worry.”

He laughed. “You better!”

Their father just stood, arms crossed, and eyeing Goku gently, but with a great deal of appraisal. Raditz knew that look well. It meant he was proud. “Take care of earth, alright? We’ll be back often, especially for that training I’ve been hearing about, okay?”

“Definitely,” Goku grinned at him, still shy of the imposing figure their father struck. But Bardock surprised even Raditz, and knelt down, and hugged Goku. 

“You’ve done our family proud,” he said, softly, and then turned to Raditz as well. “Both of you.”

He tried his best to keep the tears stinging his eyes from falling, and just nodded. 

Their father and mother moved inside, while Raditz said his goodbyes to each of the humans. It was incredible to think that over a month ago, they were annoying hangers on that they had to deal with, and now, now they were dear, dear friends. 

He didn’t mean to, but for most of his little speech, Raditz’s eyes lingered on Yamcha. “Thank you all… For everything. This has been the best time of my life, I promise you that. We can’t thank you enough for what you’ve given us… You’ve given us our home, our families back. And it was a wild ride. Thank you… For everything.” 

 

He hugged each of them in turn, expecting it to be a bit awkward, but they were a friendly, affectionate group. And no one seemed to mind if he hugged Yamcha a bit longer and a bit firmer. 

“You better come back,” Yamcha said, with a bold grin that made Raditz’s heart flutter. “You’ve still got to train with us and Master Roshi!”

“I will,” Raditz said, and spotting Bulma glaring up at the Prince, added conspiratorially, “We will.” 

The goodbyes lingered only a bit longer. Soon Raditz joined Vegeta at the door, to turn and wave once more. Even Vegeta nodded at them all, before the two of them went in, and flew home. 

Home. 

 

My lord has grown tired of the sappiness of endings, but I must say for myself, that I am pleased that these younger versions of our subjects were able to grow in the space of a month that took years for their real counterparts, or was not possible at all. I find that our hypothesis proved correct. Given the right push in the right direction, to finding these earthlings just a bit sooner, and allowed the chance to hope, and to fight, we find our troubled Saiyans achieving that same peace and near that same purity of heart that Son Goku had always had. And we find Son Goku, given this same push, is not changed for the worse, made less hopeful and less pure. Rather, he too has found only that his love for all can continue to grow.

Of course, my lord would be remiss if we skipped over the ‘more interesting’ parts as he says. For the next ten years, the Saiyans and Earthlings find themselves training hard and engaging in small skirmishes with the Frieza Force, culminating finally in a battle of epic proportions that is won not through the strength best beloved of Saiyans, but through the cunning now allowed to shine through one of its native sons, and a human woman who quite possibly personifies it. As well as fighting off Frieza, Earth and Planet Vegeta find themselves in their own separate messes as well, with demon kings, tournaments, and obsessive politicking keeping all our subjects occupied fully, and often away from one another for quite some time. Battles are the only reunions they really know.

True to form, however, these battles are not won and fought without some delicious dilemmas of the heart popping up now and again. In fact, the heart nearly loses them the whole war, when a daring rescue attempt takes a turn for the worse. But, knowing what they know now, the heart is simply a key for greater powers to unleash. The legendary Super Saiyan of course makes an appearance. I will not spoil the fun of it by telling you who though. That is a matter for another time, and another experiment. 

Further questions I have and would love to explore, are whether or not the prince and the king reunite under any sort of positive circumstances. Can a king redeem himself, or is that the sole province of his son? Who rises to the occasion and becomes the new leader of the Saiyans? Is it someone we expect, or a new player entirely? Will Goku have to, at some point, choose one world over the other, belonging to both while knowing only one? Is the choice permanent? Is it the right one? How does that whole adorable little love square solve itself in the future? I have my own hypotheses to all these questions and more, but I do believe it is best to let it play out a little before revisiting. 

After all, we have pushed them enough. And I believe that Goku and Vegeta have finished their first round of training for today, and are in need of my attentions once more. 

Until next time, we shall simply have to dream up answers of our own.


End file.
